Dollmaker
by witchhuntress
Summary: -"In the end, are we the dollmakers, or are we dolls made to pretend as dollmakers so that we can be deceived by the real dollmaker?" Sequel to 'Reminiscence' CHAPTER 17 UPDATED! COMPLETE
1. TL

**To the reader: I cannot promise that this story will exceed expectations and won't have grammatical errors. But, if you find it in your kindness to disregard those flaws and look beyond them to discover if this story is worth your time, I am very grateful in advance. ^^**

**TAGLINE: Would you rather be alone with ghosts or with life-size dolls that move and have eyes glowing at you in the dark? **

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**OVERVIEW**

_I really hate dolls._

If it's not because of my job, I would have rather stayed home.

But, Naru had agreed already to this new case, and I couldn't even protest to him or anything. I mean, he's my boss after all━my narcissistic, sarcastic, sharp-tongue, and egotistic boss.

Sigh, I couldn't even let him see this weakness towards porcelain miniature mannequins that have ogling fish eyes.

I had enough with the second case before. Now, I didn't want to deal with head-turning dolls again.

_Why do I have to deal with all this uneasiness within me? Just why now of all times? _

Goosebumps were running through my spine as I recalled what our client had said...

_Help me, God._

**END OF OVERVIEW**

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**WHAT HAS BECOME (DAY 6; 3:16 am)**

I jolted and found myself gazing at blurred faces. They were talking…but I could not hear them…

I felt as if my consciousness was but a thin line of thread that would be cut off soon…for eternity. The feeling of detachment slowly grew…brusquely and slowly at the same time.

_This is the nth time already…these near-death experiences…will they end and make way for the bridge that I shall cross…?_

It wasn't the first time that things which I hadn't done while living rammed my thoughts. Back at middle school, when my mother died, I would have still hold unto my death wishes.

But, that was back then. Now…I realized that I had grown so attached with this tangible world…this world that made me so vulnerable but at the same time…happy.

I could taste the tears probably falling down my face as I remembered how many people I would miss…It would've been okay before…to die since it's just me after all…Nobody would cry for me…Because those who would have had, had gone ahead of me.

Yet, now, as I met a lot of people and our lives overlapped…I noticed how hard it had become.

_It hurts…_

_God…I've taken a lot of chances and still I ask for more…Am I not so selfish…?...I'm sorry…if only…this temporary assignment will become permanent residence…_

_I want to live…I want to live and be with Obaa-san who took me in…I want to see Bou-san and Ayako bicker again then soon… finally confess their true feelings to each other…I want to see and hear John…his soothing voice…and genuine smile…How I want to see Yasuhara fool around again…and…Lin…even if he ignores me usually…How I longed to have a normal conversation with him…That Masako also…she might have treated me badly, but…I understand her feelings and I want her to know…I don't hate her…_

_Naru…why…why is it so hard…to die…? Why…does my heart tell me not to let go of this world…? …To let go of you…? I want to be with you…by your side…forever…_

_Why must I…love you so much? Why…as moments pass…I feel it's hard to let go…the depth of pain inevitable…?_

_I don't want to die…Can I not have more chances in life…? _

Yet…I could feel the edge…the brink that I must topple over…My consciousness was slipping away like quicksand in an hourglass…

_If only…_

Sprawled on the floor, I drifted off into a whirl of excruciating recollection of the day it all started.

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**FLASHBACK**

A man in his mid 40s arrived that scorching day. Despite the air-conditioning in the SPR building, I could still feel the heat through the steaming kettle that I prepared for Naru's tea. The man who entered, however, was wearing a suit and did not seem to mind the heat outside. I felt pity for him though. When I came to serve tea in the lounge (Naru's already there with Lin-san and his laptop), I noticed that the man's legs were shivering.

"How can I help you?" Naru said bluntly.

"I am Nezune Tenura," the man introduced himself. "I'm the housekeeper at an old castle ─"

"Castle!" I said in surprise. Naru glared at me and I bit my lip. "Sorry."

"What about this castle, Tenura-san?" Naru inquired.

"St-strange murders are ─"

"We don't take detective work," Naru interrupted straightforwardly, ready to stand and take refuge in his wholesome office.

"Naru, that's very rude," I remarked, imitating Madoka's tone, and he glared at me again.

I scowled at him back. Score. _Honestly, he hasn't heard the man's whole sentence yet._

"Y-you don't understand," the man stuttered. "The killings aren't ordinary at all! A lot of our servants were killed of hemorrhage without knowing the cause of the cuts in their bodies. There was no evidence of a weapon used. Their corpses have become sunken as if – as if their souls were taken out."

Naru's eyes furrowed, but he didn't say anything. The man continued relaying.

"There was also the case of moving dolls," Tenura-san ranted. "Tenjou Kawabuki, the castle's owner, was the great-great grandson of rich merchants and artisans. He loves antiques, so he left the castle as it is: a museum of ancient artifacts that are actually heirlooms of his ancestors. We were hired to take care of the castle while he is away. Kawabuki-dono informed us that he and his family will be staying there for the summer, so we prepared it for him. As soon as the family came for vacation, the killings began."

"Rika-sama, the daughter of Kawabuki-dono, loves dolls in her young age. But when she came to the castle, she doesn't want to play with her dolls anymore and kept on saying that a moving life-size doll is visiting her room every night. Also, every time the doll visits her, one of our servants is found dead the next day. Rika-sama keeps on having nightmares too."

"Isn't Kawabuki-san worried about what might happen to his family?" I questioned with goosebumps climbing unto my spine.

"Kawabuki-dono…does not believe in what Rika-sama says," Tenura-san said sadly. "He thinks that Rika-sama is lying to him because she wanted to go someplace else for the summer vacation. The family is perfectly safe, and there has been nothing going on that may threaten their lives. On the contrary, our servants are being killed without proof of their murder. The son of Kawabuki-dono, Kirio-sama, has realized that the targets are usually females, so he accompanied Rika-sama in her room to protect her."

"But the next day, Kirio-sama began acting strange." Tenura-san trembled. "He said he saw the doll who visits Rika-sama frequently and that, watching them with its porcelain eyes, it stayed with them throughout the night."

I gasped and winced in fright as I visualized what Tenura-san was saying. I was not originally afraid of dolls. After all, they were mere lifeless creations for children. Yet, ever since Minnie in our second file, I didn't have the same assurance anymore. As my imagination became so vivid, I could not help being scared.

_Moving life-size dolls? Who wouldn't be afraid of those?_

"Why does Kawabuki-san insist on staying at the house?" Naru interrogated.

I squinted my eyes at Naru. _It's a castle, you know! A castle! Though I don't know what kind of castle it is, but aren't you even thrilled that there's a Western castle in Japan? _

But then, Naru's always like that.

_Perhaps he'd seen a lot of castles in England that he doesn't care if there's one in Japan of all places…But…I wonder…how are we going to examine the whole structure? It would need a lot of equipments and…_

"I-it's because when we searched the castle, there was no life-size doll found," Tenura-san spoke anxiously. "There were no dolls found when we cleaned the castle either that's why he doubted both Rika-sama and Kirio-sama's story."

"Isn't he even considerate of his servants' welfare?" I uttered quizzically and clutched my fists in anger. _Or even his children's?_

I saw Naru glance at me in amusement.

"W-well, Kawabuki-dono does not really come home to the castle that much, so I think it would be quite understandable if the children are lying to get his attention," Tenura-san responded with a shrug.

_What?_

"B-but, there are really a lot of eerie apparitions which the children have not spoken about but which are seen by some servants."

"But, what about the families of the victims?" I queried, getting irascible by the minute.

_That man must at least feel somewhat responsible for his servants' death…! And to let his children suffer at what must have been a lonely castle…!_

"Kawabuki-dono has already given what is due to the families of the victims," Tenura-san replied and wiped his somewhat sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.

"But did he even not hire detectives to scrutinize what's happening in that castle?"

_Naru's right…It's more like detective work especially with those murders…How can we make sure it's a ghost who presides over the moving dolls and not a programmed circuit? Things may move not only through supernatural phenomena these days…_

_Though I would have wanted to help but…_

"K-Kawabuki-dono already did…" Tenura-san sweat-dropped. "But, they were gone the next day. We've hired three detectives already…and they never came back."

Dumbfounded, I stared. Naru didn't speak again, and wondering what he should say next, Tenura-san blinked at him.

"Umm, Naru?" I called the narcissist, and he gave me a thoughtless look.

"We'll take the case." Naru loured. "We'll be going there on Monday morning exactly."

"T-thank you," Tenura-san mumbled.

Naru nodded. "Lin will take your address."

Tenura-san did what Naru instructed, and the housekeeper left quietly in relief. Soon, Lin-san went back to his office, and I was left with Naru at the lounge.

I whizzed to Naru. "Are you really going to take the case?"

"That's for me to know," he responded curtly.

I sulked. _Can't you even say anything more productive? Sigh. To think I've confessed to him twice already…_

I blushed, and I met his eyes when he looked up from the book, which he'd begun to read.

"You should stop staring," Naru smirked. "You can do it all day later."

I reddened darker. "I wasn't staring!"

His smirk deepened. "We'll see…"

_Conceited jerk!_

"Mai," Naru called, and I looked at him expectantly. "Tea."

He smirked again at my heating face before he slipped inside his office, and I clenched my fists.

_That guy, honestly! He suddenly became so serious but only for some trivial chore! _

He had become so perplexing ever since I started working with him again.

_I don't understand him. _

_Sigh. _

_What was he thinking when he agreed to the case? _

_He didn't look even convinced to Tenura-san's story…_

_That wasn't like his usual self at all…_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

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**REWIND TO WHAT HAD BEEN (DAY 6; 3:10 am)**

"Why? Why won't you hate him?" the spirit shouted at me, "KILL HIM!"

I tasted my tears. Tears had probably streamed my face as I met those ever deep blue eyes━those calm eyes I'd always admired and gazed at. Those eyes that could see my soul…

_How can I hate him?_

No matter how I tried to erase my feelings for him…No matter how I tried to reassure myself that nothing would work out between us…that he's better off with Masako than me…that I'dnever really have a chance to be the girl he'd be the one to love…I could not seem to…

I just couldn't hate him…

I just couldn't kill him when I love him so much…

"I-I c-c-can't!" I quivered.

My whole body was shaking terribly. I was overcome with deep sadness, but at the same time, fear enveloped my heart.

"KILL HIM!"

"I can't! I don't want to!" I exclaimed desperately, but my hands flew from my sides and involuntarily grasped a dagger that was thrust to me in midair.

I gasped as my body walked towards Naru.

"N-no! Please stop!" I sobbed and tried thrashing sideways as my body moved without my volition. "P-please…Naru…stay away…!"

Immobilized, Naru ogled at me, but his eyes showed hesitation and tension.

_This isn't a time for reasoning!_

My body halted moving, and the ghost was frustrated.

"WHY WON'T YOU KILL HIM?" the ghost shrieked, infuriated.

_Moreover…why must I kill him?_

"B-because I love him!" I responded, half-sobbing and shouting.

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LOVE!" the ghost yelled, and I yelped as I was hauled with the dagger pointed towards Naru.

But, before it could hit him, I stabbed myself.

**END OF REWIND**

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	2. Determinism

**A/N: Second chapter OMG o.O**

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**31 HOURS EARLIER OF THE REWIND TO WHAT HAD BEEN (DAY 4; 8:00 pm)**

Naru was sitting on his throne in the base when Yasuhara and Ayako came in (after wandering around the castle to ease their full stomachs). The Kawabuki household gave them a bountiful dinner again that they couldn't avoid but help themselves.

"Have you seen Mai, Boss?" Yasuhara asked, thinking about how odd it was that the girl wasn't near her greatest love.

"She went to sleep," Naru replied tersely.

"Ehhh, this early?" _It's just 8 pm…_Yasuhara furrowed his eyebrows. _That's very unlikely…_

But then, the college student knew how Mai seemed to have weakened lately though she showed a cheerful countenance when she played with Rika.

"She's sick," Naru said and added to Ayako (before Yasuhara could reply), "What's the news?"

_Bingo_, Yasuhara thought to himself.

"It's well, you see, ah—wait!" Ayako exclaimed. "What happened to Mai? Why's she sick? Did you do something to her?"

Naru's eyebrow raised high. "When is it ever my fault that she's negligent to her health?"

"You━!"

Ignoring the priestess's fuming figure, Naru stood up and felt something clinked when he moved a step. He stared down and recognized Mai's lily hair pin, which he had given when he and his parents visited her home last April.

The young boss made an inner sigh. _How reckless and forgetful…that girl…_

Inattentive to Ayako's demanding questions, Naru bent down and picked the hair pin. Just then, he felt a great jolt of time and space, and he was transported into a circular room with green background━ - a place he assumed was somewhere in that castle.

For the first time, Naru sweat-dropped and he paled. He was face-to-face with himself: a disturbed him.

_This is─!_

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LOVE!" he heard an almost transparent figure scream, and he felt his body move towards the him in front of him. He didn't notice he was holding a dagger...

And he stabbed himself involuntarily.

Dropping Mai's hair pin on the floor in shock and panting arduously, Naru went back to earth with Lin kneeling beside him worriedly. _He knows…_

Yasuhara and Ayako's curious queries were shunned as he thought fast about what to do. He turned to Lin.

"Naru, what have you seen?" his Chinese assistant asked anxiously.

"Lin, get Mai," was Naru's sparse but urgent reply.

And with that, Lin understood. Filled with a sudden creeping fear, the Chinese man wondered; _will what will happen, really happen?_

As his assistant vanished from sight, Naru stood up, numbed. _Last time it was Gene…Now…why Mai?_

Although, he knew; the god of death would never answer.

Thoughts rushed his mind:

Mai bringing him tea.

Mai blushing after falling over and kissing him.

Mai gazing furiously at him.

Mai smiling happily at him.

Mai crying after saying she loves him.

Something inside him that he could not decipher was fading away like mist. It was similar to how he felt when he saw Gene die; it was an ominous and horrendous feeling. As if he was becoming emptied…hollowed…

No...

Naru bent his head and ran his hands through his hair as he sat on the chair he was occupying calmly before. In terms of location, she was nearer to him than Gene was at that time. He could easily reach her and hinder what was imminent. But, for the second time, he doubted himself.

_Death is inevitable._

_Do I even have the power to prevent a predetermined death?_

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	3. Mikan

**A/N: I was actually going to drop this story. Not just this one but all my stories. I was in a very deep state of depression these past few weeks that with so much self-hatred I've become so unmotivated and attempted to delete everything. Life is so hard that it has thrown me into so much confusion and despair. I unfortunately lost myself in the process of being so engulfed by everything. I have to be very grateful though that my best friend put me out of such a situation and helped me recover. Now that I think about it, I was really so foolish as to think of self-destruction. *sigh* Anyway, I'm back ^^ I'm very sorry if my writing has gone crappy or something. I don't really have much confidence in my writing but I really love writing T_T and any idea that's unwritten or unexpressed, would be a waste and might be forgotten T_T**

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**3 DAYS AGO BEFORE 31 HOURS EARLIER OF THE REWIND TO WHAT HAD BEEN (DAY 1; 9: 43 am-12:05 pm)**

_How-how could there be castles like this in Japan?_

_Moreover, near Shizuoka?_

_Moreover, a mountain side in front of Mt. Fuji?_

I gaped at the view near us as I took out my micro sport player and helmet and went down my silver motor scooter. The black SPR van and Bou-san's car parked beside mine and both vehicles opened to reveal the rest of the SPR gang.

As much as Naru argued against me driving along and alone with my motor scooter, he was irrevocably helpless when I challenged him to jankenpon or rock-paper-scissors to easily decide the whole matter. It turned out my ability in the game was flawless and after countless rematches, he finally gave in when he realized that time would just be wasted because of the silly game. And he just left me alone by myself, additionally leaving trails of glares on my way.

It seemed like I won this time. I smirked as Naru got out of the van and counter-smirked at me. We had resumed our long ago petty quarrels and somehow it had become a habit of mine to usually trigger his anger mechanism to test until how much of my childish behavior he could contain. To say I was actually curious if he could ever beg someone to stop was a definite truth.

_I told him I'd be really difficult after all…_

I giggled. Somehow, this strange expression of my affection for him was something I didn't want to change. Besides, I found challenging Naru's ego quite amusing. The more I seemed to shake his wall of defenses, the more I realized how well it was built.

_And the more I wanted to break it and make him smile…_

_It seems like nothing's really easy in this world, Obaa-san…I don't know how many times I've tried to make him smile the few months I've come back to SPR office…and not one day with any luck…just nil…_

I diverted my gaze from the narcissist and open-mouthedly examined the structure of our investigation.

_But really, what the heck is with this place?_

I almost shouted it aloud but instead I let my jaw drop.

The enormous wrought-iron gate stood before us; it had an intricate and beautiful pattern like curling grape vines meeting at the center. On each side of the gate, gigantic wrought-iron fences with the same artistic pattern surrounded the whole castle grounds presumably; the expanse of the fences was undetermined as the rest of it was obscured by the mighty marble castle walls…

_The castle! Oh my, what a castle! _

There I was, for many days on end, scared of thinking about going to the castle where our case would be at for the obvious expectation of just fainting at the glimpse of it! I had imagined it a lot of times during work that it might be one of those castles where Dracula resided…But the castle looked different than what I thought! There were no moats, drawbridges and battlements. The 'old' castle looked newer than I imagined!

_It looks oh-so-different! _I ogled at it, stunned. And I, instead of becoming afraid, went into a princess-y daze.

The castle walls were built with white marble and the roofs in royal blue. As far as I could see from the ascending view, there were five towers; the largest and seemingly domineering one was in the middle. At the left side of my view, a church made with the same materials as the castle nestled neatly, although slightly slanted.

_Yasuhara did say the castle grounds have a polygon-like boundary…_

"Mai," Naru called sternly and I turned dazedly at him.

"Huh?" I asked absent-mindedly.

"Stop drooling," he smirked and I fumed, involuntarily kicking him…on his crotch…

He gripped my leg to a halt before my leg neared centimeters from him as if he anticipated what I would do.

I blushed.

He held my calf and thigh and I felt as though my body burned with his touch. He released my leg immediately, after realizing where he'd touched me and cleared his throat before smirking again. I almost lost my balance if I hadn't leant my hand on the seat of my motor scooter.

"You've been trying to kick me at that place for weeks now," he said smartly. "It seems like the manifestations of your anger has leveled up recently."

I blinked and looked away, blushing. "S-shut up, you idiot scientist…"

That was not the first time Naru touched me in such an intimate place. There were as much awkward moments between us as there were brawls.

_Well…if it wasn't for that new four-legged coat rack I always trip over every time I serve him tea, I wouldn't have experienced those embarrassing situations where he had to catch me! And the narcissist didn't even bother to get that rack off, dang it!_

_"It's a practicing tool for you to watch your step," he had said coolly when I ranted about it!_

I was going to start something but then, wearing a yellow tank top, pink skirt, green-polka-dotted sneakers, and blue big-lensed sunglasses, I realized the mistake of my summer getup as a cold breeze blew past me.

I embraced and rubbed my arms.

"Why the hell is it so cold?" I exclaimed, my teeth chattering.

"It's because of the high elevation, idiot," Naru remarked and I glared daggers at him.

I harrumphed and came to stare at the overlooking view of the driveway.

"Amazing…" I mumbled as I slipped into my baby blue cardigan which I stashed out smoothly from my trolley bag (which I had secured with yoga straps on the small backseat of my motor scooter).

It was a good view of the Oshino village below. Numerous roofs of different buildings, some infrastructures, and recreational centers could also be seen. I could see the glimmering waters of Lake Yamanaka clearly too. And of course, the most apparent view of all was the white-capped peak of Mt. Fuji.

"Mai!"

I turned around to see Naru staring at me.

I blushed.

As much as I have become very bold to make protests against him, I just couldn't seem to get over from drowning when his azure orbs pierced me.

"Really Naru, you don't have to shout," I recovered immediately.

"I've been calling you for a while already. Don't just stand there. We're not here to play dollhouses," he smirked and my blood boiled up. Really, does he have this talent of pissing off people?

I heard a restrained giggle and my blood reached the boiling point.

"But that would be very likely of Mai, wouldn't it, Naru?" Masako asked with her usual kimono-sleeve-hiding-mouth-reflex.

I sighed as I was reminded of something.

Though our friendship seemed unnoticeable because of the evident rivalry between us, unlike other female love rivals, we had never resorted to physical means of battling. It was a silent war between us. Yet, of course, there's a time for exceptions. Unlike in the past wherein few words travel between us, me and Masako had oftentimes broken the barriers between us these past few months and just let ourselves get along. Having her as a girl friend had made me happier. I missed my other girl friends Michiru and Keiko too and though I had girl friends also at my current school, it felt better when I had someone of my age and gender whom I could hang out with most of the time, especially after school and weekends. Somehow, she had become my best friend and rival.

I'd somehow come to view Masako in a new light too. Though sometimes her brilliant attempts to snatch Naru irked me a lot, I had come to appreciate this cute and childish behavior of hers in teasing me into frustration. Oftentimes, the thought of wanting a sister like her had passed my mind.

I exhaled, controlling my seething, and beamed at Masako while gritting out, "You're really cute, Masako."

She looked at me astonished and, hiding her mouth, she quipped, "I know that already."

_Ahhh, there's Narcissist number 2 for you!_

Naru called on me again and I hop-walked to help him with the equipments, sporting a silly smile on my face.

Despite everything, I'd never felt great belongingness with any other team than this paranormal one we had.

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"Would this be enough Naru-bou?" Bou-san asked. "Seeing how huge this place is, I don't think it would be."

Naru just looked at him expressionlessly and I wondered what he was thinking. Bou-san was a little taken aback.

_My, my, he's got that impression on anyone._

We're already in the room to use as our base. Much to my dismay, it seemed so deserted with only a few luxurious couches and amazingly sculpted tables and chairs; I, then, realized that it was due to Naru's request when I wondered aloud.

"So that you won't get distracted and go into your lazy-staring stance," Naru replied, making such an insolent smile of victory.

I thankfully remembered to glare at him before I almost drowned by his trapping eyes…

There were no paintings unlike in the hallways. Gratefully, there was a grandiose marble fireplace where we could sit in front of in case the nights would turn colder than usual.

I helped Lin-san set up the shelves for the cameras; though, I'm not such a big help.

Almost entirely everything in the castle was carpeted (the vestibule had only one carpet and a few furniture). As you would expect of castles; there were knight's armors, paintings of infamous noble-like people, big chandeliers, and many candelabras. It was an old castle and there lingered, still, the smell of an unforgotten era.

Tenura-san told me, when I was told to inquire again at the phone, that black outs were frequent there so Kawabuki-san, the owner, bought a generator━in any case━for his family's summer vacation there. It's quite helpful since Naru had also thought of contacting the British branch for generator. Knowing that we didn't need to bring one anymore and that our job would flow smoothly without having problems of threatening black outs (that would really slow us down), I was relieved that everything was settled.

But, what lurks inside the castle might be more frightening than black outs. Or so I thought. After all, I was the only one who's secretly opposing this assignment. I mean, dolls were creepy (especially their eyes which tend to glimmer and seem more like human's.) Yet the fact was, they're not alive. I remembered this movie I'd seen wherein one of the characters said that dolls were suitable vessels for lost souls.

I shivered.

_I wonder if that's true…?_

But then, those frightening thoughts weren't as haunting now that I was inside the castle though. I grinned happily at the teardrop chandelier above me. I drifted off with my imagination as I envisioned recklessly attending a ball and dancing with N—

"Mai, tea," Naru called and I frowned.

He smirked at me knowingly.

I snorted my 'Yes.'

_Sheesh, we just came here and he already asked for tea? What the heck is with his tea thirst…_

He glared at my frown. "Stop staring and start moving."

"Yeah yeah idiot scientist," I sighed and he glared again.

I heard Bou-san and Yasuhara snicker behind Naru's back and I couldn't help but earn a smile myself.

I fished out a large box from my bag and took out the sandwiches I made at home. _Time to punish the Narcissist…_

I remembered what he told me last May…

_"You've never even tasted my extremely delicious sandwich!"_

_"My mother even wanted seconds of it," I muttered to myself but he heard it._

_"You'll have to make one, then, on the next case," he imposed and I blushed._

_"W-whaa—! Who do you think you are?" I mustered. "I wouldn't make you my extremely delicious sandwich even if you plead me so!"_

_"Make it when you come to office soon, then," he said and I blushed._

_"I'm not going to make one for you!"_

_He simpered. "Is it because you doubt your extremely delicious sandwich would not suit my taste?..."_

Grrrr…dang his conceit…

I smiled wickedly. But I'm going to punish him for that now…_Heeheehee_

I grinned widely. "Bou-san, Yasu-kun, Masako, Ayako and John. Here's some snack before we continue."

"Ah, thanks, Mai!" Bou-san got one sandwich to his mouth rather fast. "Wow, it's delicious."

"Isssnn't it?" I drawled, smirking at the Narcissist who narrowed his eyes.

I approached Lin and gave him his share. "Enjoy, Lin-san."

The man mumbled his thanks, with a thoughtful look at Naru, but I skipped back to make tea without a second glance at Naru.

_Heehee Take that!_

Bou-san noticed. "Mai, you didn't give Naru some sandwich."

I saw Naru glare at him and I harrumphed. "He doesn't want it."

"Ehh, it's really scrumptious though, Boss," Yasuhara commented, popping his finger after licking a stray mayo. "You should have one rather than just tea."

"She's not offering it," and he gave me a pointed stare. "Probably at the expense of disappointment since I doubt it'll suit my taste."

"Well, excuse me—!"

"Umm…"

We both looked up from the quivering voice and saw Tenura-san at the door, like a brooding shadow.

"T-Tenura-san, are you alright?" I gulped. _This guy is way too gloomy! Gloomy, I say!_

He smiled weakly. "I just came to check up on how you are all doing."

"I-I see haha," I scratched my head sheepishly. "We're doing quite fine, thank you."

"Your rooms are already prepared," Tenura-san informed. "Would you like to see them now so you could all settle things after?"

"Umm…" I looked at Naru and he sighed.

"We'll go and put our things in our rooms, then," he said and we all nodded in agreement.

Tenura-san led us to the second floor and I gasped at the great expanse of the hallway. Paintings of people I didn't (and would never) know hung neatly on sides.

"H-here's the monk's room," Tenura-san gave Bou-san a key and I blinked.

"We'll be having separate rooms?" I asked Naru.

It was strange since we'd never had separate rooms in a case before. There's usually just two rooms; each for boys and girls.

It looked like Naru was about to point it out too but Tenura-san spoke first.

"Umm…Kawabuki-dono insists to make you comfortable…so…"

How would having separate rooms make us comfortable in this haunted castle?

"N-Naru…" I puppy-eyed Naru anxiously and he smirked.

"I see," his smirk widened. "I understand."

_This jerkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!_

_Is he not even worried about his employees?_

I grumbled and mumbled curses for a certain narcissist as we continued the hallway.

"Umm…This is for Masako Hara…" Tenura-san shyly gave Masako a key and Masako just covered her mouth with her kimono sleeve, obviously delighted of the attention.

_That Masako…_

"Umm…you…" Tenura-san called me and I smiled.

"You can call me Mai," I said and took the key of my room which he pointed at on the left side.

"Don't take too long," Naru frowned and I huffed.

"Whate—" I gasped as I entered my room. "Holy cow-grazing-on-the-fields…"

"What's wrong?" Naru inquired and I scratched my head.

"Nothing hahaha," and I shut the door in front of his face.

I heard a pained exclaim.

"Mai!" I heard Naru growl.

"Oops…"

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"How the heck are we going to check the temperatures of all the rooms?" I demanded hotly as Yasuhara and I strode off the ground floor hallway. "He's treating us like damned slaves!"

"Well, what can we do? You shut your door and smacked Naru's nose," and Yasuhara snickered again as I blushed.

"I already apologized many times!" I said.

"Well, you also didn't give him your sandwich," Yasuhara pointed out and I scowled.

"He deserves not to eat my extremely delicious sandwich!"

"Now, now, Mai, calm down," Yasu said. "I think Boss has his reasons."

"But Yasu-kun, there are 7 floors all in all!" I gestured wildly. "And this place is so wide! How dare he assign both of us to check the temperatures for 4 floors!"

"Now, now," Yasu chided. "I think your anger is misplaced, my lady."

I pouted. "It's not."

"It is so," Yasu winked. "You went pale when Boss agreed to Masako's persuasion."

I growled. I was angry at both Masako and Naru actually.

_Suddenly feigning to be nauseous and deciding that her body can only take the checking of one floor! Tch…Ayako was laughing smartly at me too! And Bou-san and John only have two floors to check!_

I kicked a nearby table. "Dang it mohhh!"

"Whoops!" Yasu yelped as he caught a falling vase.

I gasped. "S-sorry!"

He sighed. "Honestly, Mai, calm down or we'll get in trouble because of you."

He came to wipe off an imaginary dust on the vase and I screwed my eyes at him.

I heard a tiny laugh from a nearby room and saw a cute girl peeking out from a slightly open door. I smiled at her and approached her.

Crouching, I asked. "Hello. I'm Mai Taniyama. What's your name?"

"I'm Rika Kawabuki," she smiled sweetly, her cute black eyes staring at me curiously, and I almost moe-ed.

_Such a cute girl…I want to hug her~~_

She had long black hair tied in half-ponytail with a yellow ribbon. She wore a peach-colored dress with orange prints.

_Uwaahhh I wish she's my sister._

"Rika, who's there?" I heard a male voice and the slightly opened door swung wide to reveal a handsome young boy.

I saw him blush when he saw us. _Uwahhh so cute… _By the looks of it, he's a few years younger than me.

"Hello," I greeted. "I'm Mai and this is Yasuhara. We're from the paranormal team Tenura-san hired."

"He-hello," the boy replied shyly. "I'm Kirio. D-did Rika disturb you both?"

"Not at all," I smiled and bowed. "It's nice to meet you and your sister."

He blushed and I moe-ed silently. He also had black hair and eyes like Rika.

"N-nice to meet you too…" He bowed shyly.

"Mai, I think we should start checking temperatures," Yasuhara suggested and I nodded.

"We'll be going now," I explained. "See you soon, Rika-chan and Kirio-kun."

They both waved and I smiled.

"I didn't know you're a shotacon, Mai," Yasu-kun said suddenly when we're out of earshot and I gaped at him.

"I am not!"

"Don't tell me you want to be called a pedophile instead?"

I fumed. "Yasu-kun, do you want to taste my super-ultra-great delicious kick?"

"Eh—ehhh, then, pray tell, why were you smiling so much at that boy?" Yasuhara sweat-dropped and grinned. "Are you perhaps cheating on Naru?"

"I am not!" I shot, irritated. "And there's nothing between me and Naru anyway. I'm just consoling Kirio-kun…"

_And besides, there's someone else..._

"Consoling?"

"You've heard about the case, right?" I said sadly. "Those two…might have seen death so often while staying here. And there's the doll that's visiting Rika…I just…feel bad thinking about how cheerful they should pretend to be to their father…"

"I see…"

With five thermometers each on hand, Yasuhara and I took turns on checking temperatures and writing on the clipboard.

Every room in the castle was enormous. I could hardly contain myself as gasps after gasps escaped from my mouth every time I open the door to every room. The hallways were very bright due to its white marble composition. There were no wallpapers needed to exude the natural beauty of the place. Same as in the rooms. The castle was all made of white marble and it shone so brightly in my eyes. My favorite spot though was the large entrance hall we just entered a while ago. It had marble columns and flat domes with gold linings. Between the domes were bow-like sculptures. I almost had stiff neck if Naru didn't tell me off. But really…

_How could someone live in such luxury as this?_

Even Obaa-san's mansion did not have such huge rooms brimmed with splendor. Although there weren't any wallpapers, the furniture of each room were very striking. It's like every room had a theme to go by. Like, for example, one room, which Yasu and I entered, had Roman-style furniture. Another had this Chinese air with some red Ming dividers separating the room. Somehow, it looked like the original owner of the castle, as in many years back, loved to explore different cultures too.

_Probably because of his travels…_

Despite the randomness in theme of every room, I couldn't help but be happy though for sleeping in a princess-like chamber later. It was a chance my ignorant self wouldn't want to miss!

I heard a faint turning sound and I looked up and saw a camera, its lenses staring down at me. I widened my eyes.

"Yasu, is that a surveillance camera?" I noticed, pointing at the object near the ceiling.

"Hmm," Yasuhara approached. "I don't think so. No, of course Mai, I jest. What else do you think those are?"

I narrowed my eyes. "If they have told us sooner, we wouldn't have needed to bring our own equipments."

"I think they're only present in the hallways though," Yasuhara said as he peeked out from a room he just entered. "There's nothing like those in the rooms. Besides, I don't think those cameras would be useful that much. They aren't infrared cameras."

"Oh," I crossed my arms, huffing. "So this means we still have to set up cameras soon for over a thousand rooms?"

"Let's not think about the future yet when we still have to settle with the present, shall we?" Yasuhara grinned and I sighed.

"Yes, you're right," I smiled slightly. "If Naru would become a slave driver to both of us, I'll make sure to exact revenge anyway."

"How would you do that?" Yasuhara asked and I smiled.

"I'll place a lot of wasabi in his tea," I snickered, covering my mouth, scheming. "Again."

"Whoa, wait a moment," Yasuhara halted. "You placed wasabi in his tea? When did that happen?"

I winked. "It's a s-e-c-r-e-t."

I skipped off inside the room he'd entered. _No way was I going to tell him it was because Naru saw my underwear when I slipped one time and commented wryly about it!_

I blushed. _I was wearing the ones with the little penguin prints too! Ack, so embarrassing! Dang that narcissist!_

_"So you like penguins that much," he'd said! With his uncaring yet smirking face!_

I scowled. _Oh why did I forget to wear bloomers that day?_

I looked around the room, distracting myself as I left the thermometer on a nearby table. There were so many guest rooms even if the largest family would stay in that castle.

Unable to help myself, I sat on the bed to rest my aching feet.

_Was not giving him my home-made sandwich too much of a punishment…?_

_And I hit his head too…Ah—! I can't help feeling guilty…_

I stared at the draping canopy and pondered. Between Naru and I, nothing had changed except the fact that he knows what I really feel. And I had never planned to change anything between us.

_Well…except the fact that his conceit has boosted…along with his annoying ego…_

The door creaked open a little and I raised my eyebrow at it.

_Geez…that Yasu…why isn't he entering yet?_

I waited for a few more minutes for Yasuhara to arrive with the clipboard but he didn't appear.

_Hmm…that creaking a while ago…maybe he's already here…?_

I stood up. _Sheesh…is he playing with me or something?_

"Yasuhara, where are you?" I peered around the room.

The rooms exuded elegance with their tapestries, usually with horses galloping by seashores or lakeshores. Floor-length windows, covered with bleak sable floor-length curtains, (which led towards regal balconies) were also characteristic of the castle rooms by far.

I frowned as I checked the grandiose bathroom. He was nowhere to be found.

_He's still outside then? Where in hell did he go, honestly?_

I paced back to the rather cold bedroom and sighed. Some air blew in and I examined the windows in alarm. They were closed as I could trace out the window grilles' silhouettes through the bright light fighting with the black curtains' concealment…

_Where did the air come from? The door? Impossible…_

I saw movement on the corner of my eye and could swear, when I checked, that the curtains moved. I could not help but look down and grin as I saw loafers peeking below the curtains. They were unmistakably Yasuhara's.

_What's he playing at? Geez…at a time like this…_

A curtain was piled on the side so it looked bulky and did not betray any figure of a body. But through the strong bright light coming from the outside, I could make out a silhouette of a person, a man's, hiding behind the curtains.

I approached the curtain slowly, tormenting every moment of Yasuhara's anticipation at this very silly game. I reached out a hand to reveal the young detective from hiding.

"Mai!"

I managed the briefest touch on the curtain and froze. I involuntarily whirled around and saw Yasuhara staring at me oddly. I paled and shivered.

"What are you doing?" He asked and came near.

"I…" I glanced at the curtains again and gasped.

There were no shoes in sight.

"Are you alright?" Yasuhara noticed and gazed at the curtains in front of me. He narrowed his eyes. "Did you see something?"

"I…I think I saw shoes…" Your shoes…I looked down at Yasuhara and widened my eyes. He was wearing sneakers too…

_How could I have mistaken…?_

I gulped. _That was not an illusion right…? _The shoes were black too…I could have just mistaken it with the black curtains…but…it wasn't bulked below…enough to look as if there were shoes…

_And the silhouette━!_

Yasuhara frowned. "Just a shoe? Come on, let's go to other rooms and continue checking."

"Ye-yeah," I nodded but I knew that he sensed the budding fear within me.

"Where's the thermometer?" Yasuhara asked and I pointed at a door-side table.

He frowned. "Geez, Mai, now you've done it."

"W-what do you mean?" I said absent-mindedly.

"You broke the thermometer."

I stood there, stunned. "That's impossible! I just placed it there!"

He didn't speak as he ogled at me quietly.

_What is this…?_

There were only two reasons why a thermometer would break: if the temperature was very hot or very cold.

I blanched.

_It was definitely not because of heat..._

"Alright, I won't tell Naru," he shrugged and smiled. "I'll say I stepped on it when it rolled off the table."

"Yasu…"

"It's okay. But, tell me what happened after your shock has worn off. You're shivering terribly…Let's get out of this room."

I nodded eagerly.

Yasu-kun told me that he saw one of the maids at the hallway and approached her to gather information, at least a little. Because of the similar-looking doors, he forgot what room I went in and so he searched every room.

We continued our checking, not letting each other out of sight. My feet had caught up with exhaustion again. More so, I had this prickling feeling.

"The temperature looks normal on the second floor," Yasu-kun observed and I nodded.

"How many rooms have we checked already?" I asked and he counted the ones on the clipboard.

"Excluding our rooms, we've only checked 58."

I gaped at the long hallway and sighed. "Will we even be able to finish one floor before lunch?"

Yasu-kun tapped my shoulder. "Now, now. Don't forget: it's your fault."

I glared daggers at him and he waved his hands, chuckling. "I'm joking! I'm joking! Sheesh. You really should boil down."

I took a deep breath and exhaled. Clenching my fists, I resolved. _I'll get you some time, you idiot scientist!_

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"We didn't finish, your majesty," I kitty-teary-eyed at Naru's glare. "We couldn't when we're already very hungry!"

He sighed. "We already finished eating lunch in the base. Tenura-san has spared you both some food in the kitchen. Go there and eat."

"Haiii…" I said miserably and strode off with Yasuhara.

"Geez…he didn't have to be so uptight about it…" I mumbled. "As if we could finish everything in one flash."

"Bou-san and John finished though."

"Uwahh stop making me feel miserable," I ruffled my hair in frustration. "They only have two rooms, you know? I don't know how they did it but it can't be helped."

"Hai, hai," Yasuhara nodded teasingly. "It can't be helped that you're dazing at each room for more than an hour."

"I-I wasn't—!"

"Mai-nee-chan," I heard a cute voice call me and my rant vanished. I stared down at Rika who was currently gripping my skirt.

I smiled and bent down. "What is it?"

"Are you going to the kitchen?" She asked adorably and I nodded.

_So cute…_

"We're going there too," I heard Kirio's voice and I looked up. He blushed. "Y-you should come with us."

"Just her?" Yasuhara said playfully and knowingly.

"I-I mean—"

"We're going," I said and glared at Yasuhara who sniggered.

"Shouldn't you both be eating in the dining room?" I asked, holding Rika-chan's hands as she hop-skipped with me in a steady beat.

"It's lonely there," Rika-chan responded.

"Our parents aren't here so…" Kirio explained and I nodded.

I screwed my eyes at nothing. _Isn't Kawabuki-san even worried about the mental state of his children?_

"I don't like the dining room," Rika-chan whispered, her hands tensed and gripped mine a little firmly now.

I blinked at the child. I saw fear crept up in her eyes.

"W-what do you mean, Rika-chan?" I whispered back nervously.

She gazed at me, shivering a little. "T-there's always that thing staring at me from under the table."

I didn't know what to say as she skipped off and opened the door to the kitchen, greeting the chefs and scullery maids inside cheerfully. But I could almost feel as if something was watching us from behind.

_Something…prickling…_

"Mai, are you alright?" Yasu-kun asked and I flinched a little. I massaged my nape, jittery laughing.

"Ah-ah yeah, I'm fine," I beamed and went inside the kitchen before he said anything else.

The kitchen was huge as expected of a castle. It looked so squeaky clean with the white marble so…white…We sat in front of a long white marble table (whoever was the stone mason was really spectacular) with food, just beside Rika-chan and Kirio-kun. The benches beside the table were made of white marble too and I marveled more than ever at the flower carvings on the surfaces.

_So much handwork…Now I know why it's so much to be proud of…_

"Are you both psychics?" The chef, a plump middle-aged man, asked us as he gave us clean empty plates.

"N-no—I—" I started but failed.

"Only her," Yasuhara said and I smiled slightly.

The man just nodded and ordered other maids and butlers to serve the drinks and other dishes.

"I'm so sorry," the chef apologized and winked. "It's quite busy here at this time. No one wants to stay too late after all."

"I-I see," I saw him gaze sadly at Kirio-kun and Rika-chan. In a low voice, I asked, "Umm…do they always eat here?"

"Aye, that they do," he replied, nodding. "The dining room is so lonely for them, you see. They only eat there when their parents are present. When their parents aren't in the castle, they come to eat here instead. It's actually a secret we're hiding from their parents. They're quite elegant blokes, you see, and if they heard their children are eating with us they call commoners, hell might break loose."

I balled my hands tightly. _How dare they…?_

"We're just glad to cheer them up at least," the man smiled desolately. "It's only us in this castle after all."

I nodded in understanding. I noticed that all of the workers in the kitchen had these Buddhist bead bracelets on their wrists.

_For protection…?_

The chef noticed my gaze and nodded as if to affirm my unsaid question. "We got them from the shrine in the nearby village. Although, we're not sure if they're very effective, so far, ever since the detectives came, not one of the servants had been victimized by whatever there is when we acquired those bracelets."

"Ever since the detectives came?" I highlighted.

The chef nodded again and he gazed at me as though surprised that I didn't know about it. "Didn't Tenura-san tell you guys?"

"Tell us what?" Yasuhara queried curiously.

"All the detectives sent here were females."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**12:45-3:28 pm**

We came back to base to get the thermometers and clipboard again. Masako was telling Naru something when we came in.

"…then I smelt blood when we passed that room…" Masako was saying and I listened eagerly. "I could feel that a lot of people died there…without any choice to live…as if they had a nightmare and just couldn't wake up…"

_So that's how it was…Oh yeah, Masako and Ayako were assigned to the ground floor…where the servants' quarters are…_

I didn't notice all the eyes that scrutinized me. I blinked. "W-what?"

"It's not possible, is it?" Bou-san asked Naru anxiously and I ogled at them all.

"What are you talking about?" I queried.

"Shouldn't you be finishing your job?" Naru said and I pouted.

_Sheesh! Why won't anyone answer me!_

"Wouldn't you want tea now?" I tried, holding the empty teapot in my hands, just to stay and hear the conversation.

"Hara-san can do that."

I fumed but calmed myself. A very red Masako took the teapot from me and I sighed in defeat. Before I left with Yasu-kun though, I remembered what Rika-chan told me.

"Oh yeah, check the dining room too," I suggested. "Rika-chan said that something was staring at her from under the table when she ate there. Maybe it's the life-sized doll?"

"You should be the one who should check it then since our hands are full," Naru smirked and I growled at him before slamming the door.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

I kicked the wall angrily. "I really should have slammed his head hard on the door enough for him to become unconscious! That narcissist!"

"Now, now, Mai, you really should stop becoming angry," Yasuhara said and I scowled. "Besides, the last time Boss was unconscious during a case, who was the one who wanted him to be awake the most?"

I blushed. "F-fine. I don't want him unconscious but can't he just be nice? I told him something I thought would be helpful but he doesn't even buy it!"

"And when Masako told him her own discovery, Naru listened to it?" Yasuhara said knowingly and I grumbled.

He patted my head. "Don't push yourself too hard. You knew that it'll hurt, right?"

"Y-yeah," I said meekly and sighed.

"By the way," Yasuhara started and I blinked at him.

"Hm?"

"You've been kicking a lot of hard things today," he observed. "Isn't your foot aching?"

"Nope," I smiled. "Obaa-san made me learn taekwondo and kendo so my muscles have toughened up."

"T-that's quite a shock," Yasuhara sweat-dropped.

"Yup," I replied cheerfully. "I also started learning kickboxing."

"Y-you really seemed to be enjoying these defensive and offensive lessons…"

"Of course I have some motivation," I smiled wickedly.

"W-what do you mean?" Yasu-kun sweat-dropped more than ever.

"I placed Naru's enlarged picture on the punching bag."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

When Yasuhara and I finished checking two floors, we inevitably decided to split up and check each of the remaining floors. Lin and Ayako had already given us charms and wards so it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

I took the fourth floor since it would be nearer to base if anything chases me while Yasuhara took the fifth floor. Alone, I realized the mistake of my agreement. I really shouldn't have agreed to split up even if it meant easier and faster job done. Even if the narcissist was going to be grumpy about it, I shouldn't have let him provoke me to struggle alone like this.

Because I had begun to feel it again: the feeling of being watched.

If it was paranoia, I would have known better. But the feeling wasn't merely something I had assumed. It's something I had presumed: something that had happened before and now know that it was possible that it could be happening again. That kind of foresight was something I could not deny.

Just then, I heard a deafening thud, as if something heavy yet soft fell. As if bones came into contact with the hard ground.

I gulped. _What is this ominous feeling?_

"Kirio-nii-chan! Mai-nee-chan!" I heard a girl's voice cry and my blood went cold as I realized who it was.

"Rika-chan!" I yelled and ran as fast as I could to the sobbing girl. "Rika-chan, where are you?"

"I-I fell on the stairs!" She shouted back, wailing, and I paled. By the sound of it, it looks like she's in deep pain.

_Stairs? Oh Kami-sama, why are children always tormented like this?_

I ran near the staircase which led down to the third floor and saw on top of the landing a ball that must've been played with by Rika. I went hurriedly at the top of the staircase, anxious to find Rika and retrieve her as soon as I did.

_Oh Kami-sama please let her be safe! If broken bones cannot be helped by that fall, then please let her be least unharmed as possible!_

"Rika-chan, where are you—?" I stared down at the bottom of the staircase.

And saw no one.

"I'm here, Mai-nee-chan," I heard Rika's voice behind me and before any shiver occurred to me, before any scream was produced from my mouth, I was already flying, flying towards the long staircase of death and just barely…

Just barely caught a glimpse of those plump orange prints.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

There was that negative film-like structure again. It's weird seeing the whole castle with only its fine lines like a skeleton. Will-o-wisps floated numerously everywhere. I tried to touch one due to my alarming curiosity and found it drift away from my outstretched hand.

_That's…right…I'm dreaming…Which means…?_

I looked around for Gene but it seemed like he wasn't going to appear again. So far, I'd only seen him once after I met Naru again. We didn't even have a good conversation.

_I somehow…miss him…_

I smiled sadly. _It's so lonely…when I have dreams like this…with no one to guide me…_

I noticed the will-o-wisp I was reaching for earlier, moved down, almost close to the floor, and suddenly, as if a weakened flame, extinguished. As if on cue, the other will-o-wisps did the same thing, one by one. I tilted my head in wonder.

_What kind of display is this…?_

Then, I realized that I was standing on the ground floor because I could not see through below where I stood.

_Did they…?_

"They went under," I heard that familiar voice, like Naru's, yet quite soft and loving in tone.

"Gene," I said in awe. I was almost teary-eyed.

Gene smiled at me angelically and I could not help but feel a throb in my heart somewhere.

_Um…does this pain and joy mean I'm cheating on my feelings with Naru…?_

I shook my head. _No...not Naru...I'm... cheating on someone else..._

_I'm such a horrible girl━_

_...But…I could not help it…they have the same face…and I still_

"You wish I was my brother?" Gene voiced out my unconscious thoughts and I blushed fervently.

"I-I don't mean—!"

He smiled. He was obviously teasing me. "I know, Mai."

He stared at the vanishing will-o-wisps and I followed his gaze.

"I've been observing," he said. "Mai, it's about your growing psychic abilities."

"What about it?" I asked as I seemed to have fun looking at the will-o-wisps now. There's a shift in pattern at the way they disappeared now. Instead of just moving straight down, they began to sway beautifully before vanishing centimeters above the ground.

"Mai," he said calmly. "You can amplify Noll's power."

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**A/N: I'm very sorry for the very late update. And yes, I'm going to continue all of my pending stories. ^^ I wish you enjoyed this chapter. How was it? You may share your thoughts ^^**

**Edit edit... =.=**


	4. Sisenikohcysp

**A/N: Thank you for everyone who are reading this story. ^^ My life has somehow become brighter and the anxiety has very much abated. I'm strengthening myself slowly so that I may be resilient to future depression and stress. Thank you for all the empathic responses. I myself want to avoid having self-destructive tendencies again. But, I would like you all to know that I would still continue this story. I've come a long way now and I wouldn't want to regret anything. I have always promised to myself to give my best in everything I do, especially in writing which is a hobby I truly love. ^^**

**Hmm *frowns* my MAIDREAMSMAIDREAMS divider won't work since it just poofed when I saved the document. *sighs* I guess you guys just have to figure out where Mai's dream is :(**

**Terms beforehand;**

**Shotacon= someone who loves little boys (opposite of lolicon)**

**Hentai= pron (it's a scrambled letter but please don't let me spell it out! T_T)**

**Katana=Japanese sword (usually used by samurais or warriors)**

* * *

**Review**

Gene stared at the vanishing will-o-wisps and I followed his gaze.

"I've been observing," he said. "Mai, it's about your growing psychic abilities."

"What about it?" I asked as I seemed to have fun looking at the will-o-wisps now. There's a shift in pattern at the way they disappear now. Instead of just moving straight down, they began to sway beautifully before vanishing centimeters above the ground.

"Mai," he said calmly. "You can amplify Noll's power."

**End of Review**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**Love looks through a telescope; envy, through a microscope.**

**~Josh Billings~**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"W-what do you mean…Gene?" I said, confused.

"You can amplify Noll's power," Gene elucidated. "You can prevent Noll from coming into harm when he uses his PK."

"I…can do that?" I asked, stunned.

"Yes, Mai," he nodded, smiling. "With the pace that your abilities have been induced to, it is possible. You can help Naru…even when I'm already gone."

"Gene…" I said sadly and perked up. "B-but…you're not sure?"

"I don't know," he shrugged and smiled kindly. "But with what just happened, Mai, I have a strong intuitive feeling that you can do it too."

I blinked. "But h-how? Gene, I—!"

Just then dark shadows ensnared me from behind, as if swallowing me from an invisible chasm. "Gene—!"

The shadows clasped my mouth, muffling my shouts, and pulled me under.

* * *

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but white at first. Then I noticed a pattern of threads and realized that I am gazing through some fabric. My hands moved and touched the unmistakable handkerchief covering my eyes. I untied the restrains at the back of my head and blinked once. I saw a garden before me. Yellow tulips surrounded me everywhere. I swished my head around.

_Where is this place…?_

I stared down at myself and was surprised to know that I'm in a little girl's body. Wearing a white lace dress and blue doll shoes, I stared, transfixed, at the small hands where the blindfold lies. I could not help but survey those small and pinky palms. There were scars, visible cuts, and healing wounds that surrounded those tiny hands as though it had gone through a lot of menial labor.

"Fumenmoku!" A voice gasped and I saw a girl, about twelve years old or so, with her hands on her hips. Her black waist-length hair framed her cheeks, a white ribbon tied on her hair as a headband. She wore an aqua crepe dress and black doll shoes, her button nose and plump cheeks flushing in the summer heat. "Mohhh, didn't I tell you to count up to 50 before you take off the blindfold? You've only counted up to 2! Geez, that's cheating, you know?"

_50? That's quite an exaggerated number for hide and seek!_

_Ah…I disrupted her hiding with Kou…—_An inner voice that's not mine echoed in my mind.

_Kou…?_ I wondered.

"S-sorry, I was just—" I felt my mouth move and emit an unrecognizable soft voice. "I was just…thinking about the project I still have to finish…Father wants me to show it to him tomorrow…even if the customer won't need it until next week…"

"Oh shush," the girl placed a finger to my lips. "You're being a workaholic again!"

I felt a slight tug at the corner of my lips. It seems like whoever's body I'm in, a smile is plastered at the girl in front of me. The girl sighed and sat beside me.

"Father has beaten you again, hasn't he?" The girl inquired sadly and I felt my body tense up, my heart feels constricted…with fear?

The girl just nodded, answering her own question. "I know it…you don't have to hide it from me…I could see the evidence on your wrists even if you hide it with your long sleeves."

"Hey, why are you two only resting?" A young boy's voice questioned and the girl and I looked up at a chestnut-brown-haired boy at about the same age as the girl beside me. He wore a white shirt and brown pants. His hair was combed slick and parted to the left side.

"We weren't resting, Kou," the girl smiled toothily and hopped up to stand near the boy and linked her arms together with him. "Moku-chan was cheating!"

Kou scratched his head and looked shyly at me. "Ah…is that so?"

He has striking gray eyes and somewhere inside me, a soft thudding could be heard…I involuntarily diverted my eyes to his feet, gazing at his striped blue and white socks, and gave a giggle when I saw his sagged socks.

_Although I'm portraying someone…it feels weird to act so involuntary…even though my soul is stuck in one's memory…my mind has been overpowered…Who is this girl I'm portraying?_

The girl pouted as Kou stared at me, blushing. I felt heat creep up my cheeks too. _Whoa…wait a moment here…_

The girl stomped her foot suddenly. "Ah moh, if you two are just going to stare at each other, then I'm leaving!"

And she strode off.

"Ah, wait, Midoriko!" Kou went after Midoriko and regret swiftly took over me. My head bowed, as though in sorrow.

The thoughts of the girl I'm portraying echoed through my heart: _We can't be together…Kou…Father won't let me…He'll never let me… Only Midoriko…_

It's as if I could hear the chaining of one's feelings and darkness soon enshrouded my dream and jolted me awake.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 1; 4:55-5:40 pm**

I opened my eyes and inhaled sharply. For a few moments between transitions, I had felt suffocated or rather, my soul felt that way. I coughed up and saw a blurry figure overhead.

"She's awake!" I heard Ayako's voice cut through the stilled room. She helped me prop up my elbows and sit upright eventually. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess…" I said as I put a hand on my forehead. I felt somewhat dizzy and I thought hard on what happened that caused me to…

I blinked at Ayako and then at everyone in alarm. _Didn't I fall over the stairs?_

Bou-san patted my head. "It's good you're safe, jou-chan. It's really a miracle you were unscathed after falling over such a long staircase."

I gaped at him and inspected myself. _It's true!_

"H-how…?" I inquired and Yasuhara and Bou-san shrugged.

"Boss and Lin-san are looking at the surveillance videos right now so we don't know what happened yet," Yasu supplied. "It was a good thing that I heard the shoutings, Mai, and the surveillance men notified Tenura-san immediately to tell Boss about what happened…"

"Thank you, Yasu-kun."

Yasuhara just sincerely lifted a corner of his lips in a half smile. "It's good you're alright. If I'd known, I wouldn't have…"

"I know…" I smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"Mai," Ayako gripped my hand. "Did you see who pushed you?"

"I…" I don't know how to say it. How can I accuse a child? A child who's very sweet and charming at that? I hung my head and knitted my brows to feign thinking deeply but not being able to recall. "I…don't know."

Ayako nodded and Bou-san just sighed. Yasuhara gave me tea to freshen me up.

Then, I remembered what to do and took out a small notebook with pen from my skirt's pocket. _Good thing it didn't fall down when I fell…_It was Naru's gift to me on my birthday. He bought me a set of about 30 of them, saying, when I saw them as I opened his gift that day, that I'll need it in our cases.

_Just like him to give me a gift that reminds me of my job! _I smirked in reminiscence.

It has become a sort of dream diary for me though. Every time I dream of something that I find somehow meaningful, I write it down when I wake up (as long as I could still remember it). And the most vivid dreams I have are usually the ones that has a connection with real people or the paranormal.

_It's the first gift I received from him…_

I blushed deeply when I remembered what happened before I opened his gift during my birthday.

* * *

**FLASHBACK OF MAI'S BIRTHDAY~**

Mai opened the door and sighed. Naru wasn't sitting on his chair but leaning on his table, reading something on a clipboard with his back on Mai.

_Some things can't be helped._

Just then, she saw something else on the table. It was a sky blue-wrapped box and Mai smiled.

_So he remembered…_

"Naru here's your─"

A gasp.

A yelp.

A slip.

Suspect: banana peel.

A frown.

A dash.

A slip.

Suspect: still banana peel.

Mai backwards.

Naru forwards.

Teapot, cup and tea tray in midair.

And they landed.

**FLASHBACK FLASHBACK FLASHBACK~**

My head hurt from the fall. My eyes closed in pain. But I felt something soft on my lips and I involuntarily moved them.

"Hmm…" I murmured, opened my eyes, and widened them when I saw Naru's orbs looking back at me.

And his lips on mine.

_He-he-he's kissing me! Oh my Kami-sama!_

I hyperventilated.

As though he finally realized that he's suffocating me with his pinning lips, he pulled away and I panted. But then we stayed frozen like that, with him on top of me, and I could not get redder than ever at that instance!

It seems like he could not believe what he did himself but then his eyes glistened with conceit and he smirked at my probably strawberry-like face.

_Dang him, dang him, dang him for torturing me like this!_

Embarrassed at his stare and smirk, I fumed. "You idiot scientist! Stop smirki—!"

A knock sounded and then the doorknob turning made us both scramble to our feet instantaneously so that when Yasuhara peeked his head on Naru's office door, I was dusting my clothes and Naru was reading his clipboard again.

_That was close…to be seen in such a compromising position…_

I glanced at the narcissist and our eyes met. He smirked again and I glared at him although I was embarrassed at what happened.

Yasuhara had his eyes closed when he peeked in. "Time's up~~~!"

There was no reply and he finally opened his eyes and then frowned at us.

"What do you want?" Naru demanded.

Yasuhara's eyes turned to the floor and Naru and I followed his gaze. I gaped at the banana peels, tea cup, teapot and tray, strewn and spilt on the floor. Yasuhara sported a very wide grin at us and I gulped.

"Oops," he grinned wickedly. "I didn't mean to disturb…your fire-stove-ing…"

I gaped at him. "Fire-stove what?"

"Ah you're so innocent, Mai," he made a mischievous chuckle that made me gulp nervously, and he pointed to Naru and to his lips. "I better go now and let you both rekindle the flame…"

I turned to Naru and I gasped in realization when I saw that some of my crimson lip gloss (which I only wore that day) was smeared on Naru's lips! Naru wiped his lips with the back of his hand and stared at the stain disapprovingly, and then to Yasuhara.

"See ya!" Yasuhara waved and vanished.

Naru glared at the quickly shut door as I blushed so furiously than ever while I shouted vehemently, "YOU'RE GOING TO BE DEAD MEAT, WHEN I CATCH YOU, YOU TRICKSTER!"

**END OF FLASHBACK~**

* * *

Naru made sure Yasuhara could not escape after that. He made sure Yasuhara and his minions (AKA Bou-san and [I was also surprised!] Lin) were given heavy workload for a month. (And I had less to nothing that month heehee!)

I sighed. It was quite awkward after that event that I didn't speak much to Naru at all except to tell him about his tea being served or about a call. Now that I think about it, I've only resumed talking to him when he bought a four-legged rack and placed it in his office, causing me to trip endlessly every time I served him tea. I guess my frustration about the thing and my constant debate with Naru about its destruction made my embarrassment of what happened to abate as weeks go by and my conversations with Naru to start normally again, despite some more awkward moments.

Gazing back at the dream notebook, I shook my head, decided to not recall the past for now, and started scribbling as much as I can remember in the dream I had, not including what Gene said though. There are some things that must be left for self-pondering after all since I've decided to let Naru just read about what I dreamt instead of saying it to him. After finishing my tale, I decided to make tea again in case the narcissist will arrive soon. I glanced at the wall clock as I waited for the kettle to boil.

_5:31 pm…what time did I fall down the stairs…?_

Then I perked up and remembered what happened. _Rika-chan pushed me! Wha—how am I supposed to say this to Naru? How can I accuse such a cute child?_

I was startled when the kettle sounded. I turned the stove off and prepared the tea. My thoughts, however, are in wildfire.

_If I'm going to say it's Rika-chan who pushed me, what evidence do I have? I only saw her dress and not her!_

_But the voice that shouted for my help…and the one behind me resembled like Rika's so much…Was…she possessed…? It's possible but…_

"Mai," I heard Naru's voice and I let the sound resonate within me, lingering within as though I'm in a drea—

"The tea's overflowing, idiot," he pointed out and I yelped.

I lodged the kettle back on the stove and stared at the mess I created. Naru sighed heavily.

I glared at him. "Don't scare me like that!"

He raised his eyebrow. "What happened?"

I blinked for a moment, oblivious to what he meant but then started with an 'Oh.'

"Y-you can read it in the dream notebook," I quipped and pretended to be preoccupied with finding something to mop up the mess. "I left it at your tabletop."

"I'm not asking about the dream," he insisted and handed me a small towel that I haven't seen anywhere. "I'm asking about what happened before you had a dream."

"I—" I let my mouth hang open. That's because I don't really know what to say. Can I really just tell him that Rika-chan pushed me? Will he really believe me? Will he…won't he think I'm nuts?

Naru pierced me with his penetrating gaze again, measuring me, ogling at me as if searching for something amiss. I sighed. I realized I cannot really hide anything from this person. The only exception though is my undying love for him. I hid that one very well (at least to him), I think. Now that I ruminate about it, I think I contributed a lot for his density when it comes to love.

He waited patiently although I could see his eyebrow twitch after some random seconds.

"I…I don't know if you're going to believe it but…Rika-chan…s-she pushed me…"

He looked at me expressionlessly, his face blank. I waited now in return. I bit my lip. I didn't notice I was gripping my skirt so hard that my knuckles trembled.

"Mai," he said again and I perked up immediately. "Did you see her?"

I blushed, realizing. "I…I only saw the dress…"

Naru just nodded. "I see."

And he just left me like that but I felt so relieved.

_That's right! I didn't see Rika-chan's face! I only saw her dress! A dress that's identical to hers! It could probably be a trick! That must be what Naru's thinking right now!_

"Thank God…" I mumbled, stricken as I stared at the mess again.

After cleaning up, I silently went back to base. I saw Naru sitting and replaying some tapes and I stared at the monitor in curiosity. I saw a lovely room and noticed Rika-chan sleeping on a bed. _So they've already set up some cameras…_

"What are you doing?" I asked Naru.

"I'm looking at some tapes during your accident," Naru replied tersely and I blinked.

"R-Rika-chan was—?"

"She was having her afternoon nap," he told me, fixing me with his stare and I was astonished.

_Great…he probably thinks I'm nuts now…What should I do…?_

"Ahaha," I scratched my head, looking away. "I guess I hit my head hard before the fall that my eyes were playing tricks on me hahaha. I knew it's impossible that a child could—"

"It's possible," Naru interrupted and I stared at him wide-eyed.

"W-weh?" I blinked a few times in wonder. "What do you mean?"

"It's possible," he repeated and looked at me intently. "If it's that doll they were talking about."

My blood went cold.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**5:59-7:17 pm**

After Ayako, Masako and John left to gather information from the servants in the kitchen, there was a knock on the door and Bou-san ushered Kirio-kun to come in. Since Rika-chan was off into her early dinner, Kirio-kun was called in instead to give his own account.

Kirio-kun's eyes and mine met and we both looked away immediately. Now that I think about it, I have to admit he's a handsome boy. _Should I say 'princely'? _His side-swept sable hair, that's at length with his chin and covers a little of his nape, seems to be lacking a crown if I must say. His rectangle-like facial shape makes his sable hair frame the side of his face perfectly. He has a thin upper lip and full lower lip that makes his smile quite brilliant to see. His Adam's apple bobbing up and down makes him seem more mature than I think he is. His broad tapered shoulders make me think of him as rather dependable. Although he may be a few years younger (or a year?) than me, he's quite taller than me and about the same height as Naru.

I blushed, thinking. _If I wasn't in love with Naru, the old me might practically be besotted immediately with this young man. But then, my heart is so loyal to Naru now so any remarkable qualities of someone else, although quite striking and bedazzling, do not seem to have any effect to me._

I smiled secretively to the narcissist but he caught me and I blushed as his eyebrow rose.

Bou-san looked at Kirio-kun curiously after he saw our faint exchange.

"Kirio-kun~" Yasuhara placed an arm over Kirio-kun's shoulders as though they were best of friends. "Are you here to see Mai?"

I gaped at Yasuhara's bluntness and I could not help but empathize as Kirio-kun shrugged uneasily.

"I'm here to talk about…a recent circumstance."

"Oh, so you're going to hit on Mai later then?" Yasuhara teased and I face-palmed.

_What are you doing you trickster?_

Bou-san's face turned so serious. "What—?"

"Kawabuki-san," Naru called coolly, his hands grasped and rested on the table in front of him, and gestured to a chair across him. "_**Take a seat**_."

It was like how the servants cease to speak when the king proclaims something.

I narrowed my eyes. _No 'please' as usual. _Such a commanding tone it was. Honestly. I frowned.

Kirio-kun did as Naru directed without hesitation and I noticed that he walks in such panther-like grace (which is weird but lovely at the same time…)

"Mai!" Naru called and I flinched, blinked, and blushed as he glared at me.

"Stop dazing around and make some tea," he said, eyeing me pointedly.

If I'm in an alternate universe, I'd imagined Naru saying something like 'Stop staring at him or else I'll bite you to death' which is a sweet line to say for me; although, if anyone gets a piece of this part of my mind, people would think I'm such a masochist. But, thinking sideways at the ideal line that would hardly come out from Naru's mouth, it somehow sounded a gay-ish thing to say to a girl who's staring at another boy…as though he's a protective lover…of that boy…Ahhh, my thoughts are making me crazy!

…I sighed at the idiot me.

But yeah…_Tea again? Mohhhh I won't be alarmed if he went down suddenly with some tea disease!_

"Mai!" He called again and I stood up with a, "Hai, hai, idiot scientist!"

And Kirio-kun laughed out loud.

Then, Naru's laser beam found a new victim.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

As I was pouring tea on tea cups, I listened intently to Naru's interrogation.

"So, Kawabuki-san," Naru said as-a-matter-of-factly. "You came to live here for the summer as planned?"

"Yes," Kirio-kun replied, trying not to be put down by Naru's hard stare (which is something to praise him about).

"Before you came here, have you seen your sister act unusually?"

Kirio-kun narrowed his eyes and, to my surprise, replied a cold, "No."

Naru just shrugged off the cold reply. "Has she told you anything strange before?"

"No." Kirio-kun surprised me again with his frown.

"Your sister just started acting weird, then?"

_What's with all these kinds of questions?_

Kirio-kun hesitated, and then said, "Yes."

Naru smirked. "I see."

I don't know what happened but Kirio-kun suddenly had on a murderous glare.

"Are you implying that my sister is the one responsible for all of this?"

"Yes," Naru said frankly, unperturbed.

Kirio-kun rammed on the table and I winced.

"It's not my sister!"

"Is it you then?" Naru asked icily and Kirio-kun glared again.

"What kind of—?"

"—accusation is that?" I finished as angrily as Kirio-kun. "Naru, you're not doing it right!"

"What is right for me to do is up to me," Naru frowned and I glared at him. "Stay out of this, Mai."

"I'm also a part of the team so I have the right to intrude and involve myself with these matters!"

I stood there seething in front of Naru for a moment, with him returning me with an expressionless gaze. And when the moment passed, he just sighed.

"Fine," Naru said and I blinked. "You'd want to do the asking then?"

I beamed. This was the first time Naru resigned to me. But with a catch still, of course. Still, it'll be better if it's me doing the asking than him.

"I'll do it if you do the writing," I replied, smiling.

"No, you'll do both," Naru smirked.

"No, you'll do the writing," I said testily.

"Don't make me force you, Mai," Naru narrowed his eyes, his patience thinning.

_Translation: Don't test me, Mai._

"Try me and I'll tell Gene to haunt you in your dreams!"

"Mai," he growled.

_I know I'm playing dirty but he needs to learn some delicacy in handling things!_

Yasuhara clapped his hands suddenly and I flinched. "Now, now!"

He patted each of Naru and mine's shoulders and said, "I'll do the scribbling alright? And you both do the questioning alternately~ Sheesh, there's nothing large scale to fight about, you know~"

I sighed and just turned to Kirio-kun, who tried not to look at me for some reason. Up close, he seems familiar but I don't know why.

"Kirio-kun, can you tell us what happened when you stayed in Rika-chan's room?"

Kirio-kun sighed and finally met my eyes. "I did not believe at it at first and I thought it was simply just a sickness that the maids have been contaminated with that killed them and that Rika's accounts of who killed them were merely exaggerations of her own childish imagination."

He paused for a while before continuing.

"But when I stayed for the night in her room, I realized that she was telling the truth. Rika has fallen asleep ahead of me that night probably because I stayed with her; so, she was assured that the doll would not come. But it did come a few minutes later. I was very drowsy at that time so I thought at first that she's one of the maids when she moved towards the bed. But she was strange. She wore a violet gown and grinned at us creepily. That's when I realized something was off. She wasn't blinking and breathing. She looked as hard as stone yet so fluid in her movements."

I gulped but continued to ask. "Did she do something?"

"She just stared at us the whole night but her eyes implied something."

"What 'something'?" Naru asked before I did and raised his eyebrow.

" 'I'll get back at you some other time' or so it conveys."

I shivered. "Didn't you get Buddhist bead bracelets too for both of you?"

_The maids have them after all…surely…_

"Yes," Kirio-kun nodded but frowned. "But our parents threw them. They do not believe in superstitious things. Even your team's presence here was merely a consent because of the servants' uproar."

_What the—?_

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" Naru queried and I nodded, dumbfounded.

_Who's behind all of this?_

I remembered my first dream and thought hard. _Is it Fumenmoku or Midoriko? Or is it…their father with whom Fumenmoku was afraid of…?_

Naru noticed my silence but kept his mouth shut about it.

"Tenura-san told us that male servants have seen some apparitions," Naru pressed on by his own. "Did you have any share of such experiences?"

"No," Kirio-kun shook his head.

"Mai had said that your sister has seen a doll in the dining room," Naru said and I could not help but brighten up. _So he listened to me…_ "Has she told you about it?"

"Yes," Kirio-kun responded. "Ever since I saw one of the dolls she told me about that visits her room, I listened to her as much as possible. It was me who requested that the both of us would eat at the kitchen only when our parents aren't here."

"I see," Naru said and closed his favorite black notebook. I didn't even notice that he was writing the minutes of the interview. "You may go now, Kawabuki-san."

Kirio-kun hesitated before nodding.

It was like a calm after the storm as a tranquil aura pervaded the base.

At least until Kirio-kun stood up and came to me.

"Are you alright now, Mai-san?"

And intrigued stares and Naru's quirking eyebrow were unto my direction.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

Yasuhara and Bou-san neared us both.

"You know this handsome kid?" Bou-san asked, astonished, and then frowned at Kirio-kun. "What is your relationship with Mai? Did she give you the consent to address her informally?"

I sighed.

"I'm alright now, Kirio-kun," I smiled. "Thank you for worrying."

Kirio-kun smiled at me and I could not help but be dazzled for a moment until I reminded myself not to betray my heart. _Resist temptation…to squeal…for cuteness…_

He scratched his head. "Tenura-san told me that you met an accident. I…I wanted to confirm you were alright…"

Bou-san narrowed his eyes, suspiciously staring at Kirio-kun while Yasuhara grinned widely.

"Oho, Kirio-kun seems familiar with Mai," Yasuhara feigned pondering, his index finger on his chin. "Does he know Mai even before?"

Kirio-kun hesitated to speak and I vied to interrupt but failed.

"So, _**bishounen**_," Bou-san placed an arm around Kirio-kun's shoulders...and I could see that he did it so tightly… "Do you know Mai even before we came here? It seems strange for me that you've developed a rather fast crush on Mai."

"Oh yeah," Yasuhara quipped. "It seemed like you couldn't believe what you were seeing when you saw Mai a while ago."

Bou-san stared intently at Kirio-kun.

"So, what are your intentions, young man?" Bou-san persisted.

I flushed crimson, embarrassed. "Bou-san, Yasuhara, stop that moh!"

_And the narcissist just kept silent right now! Shouldn't he be ranting on us now to get out and speak outside?_

I glared at Naru and he just raised his eyebrow again before resuming to read the contents of his black notebook.

_Aaaaaaaarrrghhhh! Can't he get a clue?_

Kirio-kun shrugged shyly and said solemnly, "T-there's nothing, sir."

Bou-san gave him a prickling stare and Kirio-kun sweat-dropped.

"Being honest is commendable if you want our ojou-chan's hand."

"T-that's—"

I blushed. "Bou-san!"

Bou-san ignored me and he and Yasuhara gave Kirio-kun a prickling stare.

Kirio-kun sighed, defeated.

"I'm her fan…" The princely boy admitted.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Ehhh?" My jaw dropped. _How did that ever happen?_

Bou-san blinked at Kirio-kun and frowned at me.

"Mai, did you put up your own shrine during the times we haven't had contact?" Bou-san asked, suspicious.

I gaped at him. "D-don't be silly, Bou-san. I did not!"

"Then what made this boy become your follower?"

"T-that's—"

"Hmmm," Yasuhara interrupted, intrigued. "Can you please elaborate what kind of situation made you a fan of Mai?"

"Well…my sister first saw her…and she liked her very much…and I soon…l-liked her too…" He blushed, looking away and I blushed too because it was the first time someone said that to me so bluntly.

Bou-san stared suspiciously at me and I waved my hands. _I've never met his sister or him until now!_

"Where have you seen Mai?" Yasuhara thankfully asked.

"In a magazine…" Kirio-kun replied and I blanched.

"Magazine? What magazine?" Bou-san asked.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no! Don't tell me!_

Kirio-kun blushed, as if caught red-handed. "Swimsuit wear…"

"WHAT?"

I think I should die right now.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDX~nya~**

Bou-san gripped my arms and shook me. "You didn't pose for any hentai magazine, did you, jou-chan?"

I reddened and shouted, embarrassed. "Of course I didn't, you stupid monk!"

And I knocked his head with Naru's clipboard. Naru glared at me but I tried to appease him by saying I'll give him my home-made sandwich for it. I bit my lip, blushing because of embarrassment, and he just sighed.

A year or so ago, I had applied for different jobs and tried as much as possible to survive on my own. Luckily, there was this modeling agency a friend of mine had suggested before. There was no time for me to complain about showing too much skin when wearing bikinis and the like. It was a grace in itself since it paid well as a livelihood. There weren't any fishy jobs like what Bou-san said though. It was simply a clean and vain job, that's all. And I wore a wig that's like my long hair right now so that no one can recognize me…But now that my hair is really long…I guess not…

_Oh my Kami-sama! _I face-palmed for myself. _So that's why…_

"But really, Mai," Yasuhara grinned mischievously again. "To pose for a magazine in a swimsuit…no wonder Kirio-kun can't forget you~~"

I gasped. "Yasuhara!"

"Um…I guess I have to go…" And Kirio-kun dashed out of base.

_Oh my Kami-sama! What am I going to do?_

_And Naru heard it too! Oh my gosh!_

"Tell me, jou-chan," Bou-san said with worry etched on his face. "What odd jobs did you have when we had no communication with each other?"

"I did not have odd jobs!"

"But, Mai—"

And Ayako slapped his head with her hard fan. She, Masako, and John just gratefully came back.

"Stop harassing, Mai, you monk!"

And I sighed as I was saved from more torture as the priestess and monk began their usual skirmish.

I involuntarily glanced at Naru and our eyes met. I blushed, remembering that he definitely heard the ruckus a few minutes ago!

And he just smirked.

And I turned very red because I could sense that…his insolent smile implies that…

It's as if he already saw me in the swimsuit magazine.

_Oh my Kami-sama!_

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya**

I did not die from embarrassment, thankfully. But I tried as much as possible not to look at the narcissist now because my heart might fail and I don't know what I'll do when that happens.

I sat staring at one monitor that shows a deserted room yet truly stared into nothingness, not trying to see anything at all. I frowned and massaged my temples and the space between my eyebrows. My head throbbed and then, not again. The feeling seems to fade out when I somehow got used to it. But it comes back before I knew it and I don't really know why I have a headache all of a sudden.

Also, I don't know why I somehow suddenly feel tired…as if my rest wasn't enough…_To think I just came from a dreaming sleep…_

I stared lazily at Naru who was reading some files again. Just a while ago, Tenura-san informed us nervously that one of their male servants went missing. The maids had given some account that perhaps it was because not all of the male servants have Buddhist bead bracelets. The big problem though…is that it's as if whoever was behind all of the killings wants to tell us that it chooses no one…no biases…

My head suddenly buzzed and I winced as a fleeting electric shock went through my brain. I was disoriented and did not even hear Bou-san calling.

"Mai!" Bou-san's voice rang out and I bowed my head so that he won't see my pained expression hidden behind my hand.

"W-what?" I said, smiling at him after massaging my temples before I looked up. _What's happening to my head?_

Bou-san frowned. "Are you alright?"

I continued smiling. "I'm fine."

Bou-san sighed and got a chair before sitting near me. "If you're tired, you should rest after dinner. Although you weren't hurt by that fall, we don't know if there might be something wrong with you that we just can't see…"

I looked at Bou-san, touched. When I first came in the SPR headquarters after being rehired by Naru and after the case at my current school, I felt so at home. I really missed the place and the people going and staying in it. I missed the daily chatter while sipping iced coffee or tea. I missed the jokes and the teases aimed at me. And I really missed Bou-san's fatherly antics.

"I'll be alright," I smiled brightly and patted my upper right arm. "I'm strong, you know!"

Bou-san blinked and smiled, patting my head like I'm a dog. "Don't force yourself too much."

I nodded.

"Hey, you monk, come over here," Ayako called and Bou-san frowned although his eyes shone with delight.

"What, oba-san?" Bou-san replied and Ayako steamed.

"You—!"

Bou-san stood up from his seat and went to bicker with Ayako while my head suddenly buzzed again. The electric shock came again and I felt very tired afterwards, as if I was going to faint anytime. My head was truly about to totally droop along with my eyes when Ayako's shriek almost stumbled me out of my seat.

"Wha—?" I swished my head around in alarm.

"The monitor! That girl's room!" Ayako explained when everyone stared at her and were alerted to look at the monitors.

"It's Rika-chan's room," Bou-san said, looking at Ayako's line of sight, and frowned. "There's nothing—"

Just then, something red whizzed past in front of the monitor and stopped beside Rika-chan's bed. It was a young woman in red kimono, her hair secured loosely with wisteria pins. She was staring down at Rika-chan's sleeping form…before turning her head in front of the monitor—the camera—_**at us**_—and spread thin beautifully sculpted lips…

As she raised a katana from the inside of her sleeves.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Rika-chan!" I reacted first and ran before any thought could occur to me.

"Mai!" I could hear the others call, footsteps following me as I ran to the second floor.

I looked for the vase I almost broke hours ago as a clue to Rika-chan's room and opened the door with ease.

And was surprised to see nothing.

_Nothing…again?_

I swished around and gulped.

But there was no doll…no katana…Just Rika-chan sleeping on her bed, peaceful and without any knowledge of what was happening to her environment.

_Did it run away?_

I could hear the beating of my heart clearly and I could not help but think to myself how impulsive I'd acted again. I couldn't hear footsteps of the rest of the SPR gang but I didn't mind anymore. What's important is in front of me.

_I have to get Rika-chan out of this room…before anything else happens._

I sighed and neared Rika-chan's bed. Her breathing was even and relief washed over me. If that doll—that so-like-real-human doll—had hurt her, it would have showed…But nothing…no blood…and somehow just looking at Rika-chan sleeping made me feel sleepy too.

"Mai!" Bou-san's voice wasn't far away.

I faced the door. "Bou-san, I'm—!"

The door to Rika-chan's room slammed shut. Brusquely, something held my ankle and swept me off the floor and I shrieked in pain. My reflex was to stand up when the bed skirt lifted and something warm and soft gripped my elbow…

And I came face-to-face with the human-like doll.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

The doll gripped my hair and I screamed like my life depended on it and involuntarily, kicked the doll hard on the stomach to break free from its grasp. Some of my hair got plucked out and I yelped in pain as I drift away from the doll. I was overwhelmed by how soft like a human's the doll's stomach was but I stood immediately away from Rika-chan's bed, my scalp stinging because of the plucking.

"Mai-nee-san!" I perked up swiftly at Rika-chan and saw her wide awake, fearful.

"Rika-chan!" I shouted and thought immediately. "Jump from your bed towards me!"

She nodded swiftly and stood on her bed, ready to jump, when her bed suddenly quivered and shook incessantly. Rika-chan plopped down on her bed from the force and my throat went dry as I shouted for her. Not knowing what to do, I ran to the door and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. I pounded on it.

"Bou-san!"

"Mai!" I faintly heard from the other side. Rika-chan's cries reverberated on the walls and I ran to her, took her by the waist and went back towards the door in a dash. The door still won't budge. I turned around, ready to face the doll.

And it stood just centimeters from me.

Katana in hand.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Stay away!"

_Somebody…anyone…help me!_

Just then, a whistle echoed through the walls and the doll was thrown back by some force and I fell down, leaning on the door with Rika-chan cradled to my chest. Both of us were heaving from the exercise. The doll was now lying on the floor, motionless.

Rika-chan sobbed and I caressed her back soothingly. "Don't worry. It's all over now…It's alright. I won't leave you ever again."

I realized that it was Lin who saved us; it was his whistle that called his shikis to save us.

_Thank goodness… _My body felt heavier than ever…

The door clicked open and I moved and met Bou-san and the others outside briskly. I was shaking, I knew it very well. I was shaking terribly as I handed Rika-chan to Ayako…And I felt very very tired just then…

And everything went out.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

I don't know when I blacked out again but the last time I was awake, I felt my knees gave out and I probably fainted. When I opened my eyes, my soul is stuck somewhere. But one thing was clear: I'm portraying someone again.

I could see many people garbed with clothes I've only seen in those dusty old books or in movies. Almost everyone has masks on their faces, dressed in frilly garments, and they are all frolicking around what I could make out as the entrance hall.

I looked at myself and could not help but be amazed at the pink tulle gown, with irregularly tiered ruffles for the skirt, which clung to my body. I'm not in a little girl's body anymore but in one that's similar to my own yet still different.

I stared at my hands and realized that this scene was probably many years later than my first dream because the scars that were on the little girl's hands I'd portrayed before have deepened and become numerous as years passed by.

_So this is Fumenmoku…at about my age now…?_

I swished my head left and right, as if looking for someone.

"Moku-chan!" I heard a female voice and turned around, smiling at the person who called me. She has long black hair with a white ribbon as a headband and I realized that it was the girl from the previous dream, only a few years older too; I think she's older than me now or something. She was very beautiful in her black lace and lime organdy gown. She has grown quite wonderfully into a woman. She stared at me with eyes I could not decipher.

"Midoriko, where've you—?" I heard myself speak out in the same soft yet now slightly profound voice.

There was a clinking sound as that of a spoon or fork hitting a glass in rhythm.

"Everyone," a male voice boomed within the hall and I turned to look at a middle aged man standing at the middle of the curving staircase leading to the second floor. He held himself with great power, his chin held up high, almost domineering to the crowd who stared up at him. He smiled but his eyes didn't. He has a handlebar mustache and heavy-lidded eyes. His black hair was combed back and he wore a tweed suit.

I felt a shiver across my spine and I longed to avert my eyes but the person I'm portraying persisted to look, trying to be strong even though her legs are becoming weak.

"I'm very grateful for all of your presence in this celebration and would now like you all to join me in my praise for my daughter," he pointed a glass towards me in the crowd, and I felt all eyes on me, people gasping and exchanging small talks I somehow could not hear. "Fumenmoku Wakkako, who recently just had her creations listed as masterpieces in museums."

There were thunderous applause and whistles of joy, hands shook me as people praised me of my achievement. I felt my cheeks blush.

The man, the father of whoever I'm portraying, raised his hand to halt all the cheers and everyone fell silent at an instant.

"Besides that," the man continued, wearing such a scary smile. "We're also going to witness the engagement of my daughter, Fumenmoku, to the son of the noble house of Mochiyuma, an esteemed family of which the greatest architects the world has ever seen sprung forth."

The man pointed someone from the crowd and a young man, who has chestnut brown hair and who's wearing a khaki suit, climbed on the staircase and went beside Fumenmoku's father.

I gaped. _It's the little boy before!_

_Kou!—_I heard Fumenmoku's mind's astonishment.

There were stifled gasps and resounding applause and I looked at the girl beside me, stunned and then apologetic.

"Midoriko, I swear I didn't know—" I heard the soft voice emanate from my portrayed person's mouth.

But it was too late. The undecipherable expression the young lady named Midoriko bore has already vanished and changed into a grimace, face contorted with rage and unmistakable envy.

_No! I didn't plan this!—_Fumenmoku's inner voice sounded.

Hands hurled me toward the staircase, in the spotlight, and I could only extend my right hand futilely to the then murderous-looking woman.

"I didn't—"

_From now on_—a cold female voice invaded Fumenmoku's thoughts and I felt myself (or rather Fumenmoku's face) grow pale as I continued to stare at Midoriko who's looking at me, or either at Fumenmoku, with deep hatred—

_From now on_—she repeated telepathically to me—_you are no longer my sister. From now on, I have no sister!_

Her voice shook all of my being, making me feel pain and longing…making me feel so much sorrow as I tried to reach for the young woman who just gave me a strong and hard look.

And before I could reply back through my thoughts, or Fumenmoku's thoughts, she had already blocked me from her mind as she swept around the hall to God-knows-where.

* * *

I almost tripped when the hold of the throng left me. I regained my balance and blinked as I realized that everyone in the entrance hall disappeared. I stared down at myself and noticed that I wasn't wearing a gown anymore but instead my own clothes.

_So…I'm back to myself…?_

"Mai," I heard Gene's mellifluous voice, warming me like hot chocolate.

I turned around, sighing. "Gene…"

"We'll be training soon," Gene's voice seemed distant, unreachable, yet he's near me.

I furrowed my brows, confused. "Gene, what—?"

And my dream vision fogged.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**7:50 pm**

Naru sat idly on his throne in the base after having dinner. A while ago, the narcissist luckily came forward to catch the falling girl with his right arm. Mai hung limply with his support and he sighed inwardly. Although he would have carried her to base like cupping raindrops, he supported her arm and held her by the waist instead—with a smirk at the disappointed looks of the monk, four-eyed man, and priestess. If it was shock or not, the young woman was probably exhausted.

Naru frowned again. It was as if there was a great plan in the scheme of things. When he and the others followed Mai, all the doors of the rooms at the second floor were opened and life-sized dolls streamed out from each of them, confusing all of them and keeping them away from where Mai and the Kawabuki girl are. It was like a game of chess; whoever the opponent is, he or she was letting the Queen invade his or her territory before setting forth the pawns, trapping the Queen so she won't be able to save the King and escape.

He had expected when they finally found the Kawabuki girl's room, the doll would be there. Lin had called his shikis and Lin had informed Naru that his shikis had injured the doll. But it was not there and it could mean only one thing: whoever was controlling those dolls isn't someone easy to trifle with.

Somehow, it was as if whoever is behind this case, it was letting Naru into a mindgame. The narcissist just smirked, though. He was amused and it has been a long time since he'd had so much fun in a case.

The door to the base opened and Takigawa came in along with a black-haired and sable-eyed boy. Naru raised his eyebrow as he saw the boy holding a tray with some seaweed-colored cubes.

Takigawa was grinning heartily. "Come in, come in, bishounen. Mai's sleeping though, I'm afraid but I guess it won't be a bother just to watch her sleeping serene face? _Like __**someone else**_ _was doing…_"

Naru frowned. The boy was tall, probably a centimeter below than him. He's also pale like the narcissist but, unlike the latter, he was smiling as he saw Mai sprawled on the couch. The boy might be two years younger than Naru but it was unmistakable how the former seems capable enough. As to what such capability it is, Naru didn't know. But there was something disagreeable with this boy named Kirio Kawabuki that Naru could not point out. Naru watched the boy closely as the latter approached where Mai was slumbering and lodged the tray on the table in front of where Mai lies.

And Naru did not miss the slight blush that emerged from the boy's cheeks as the latter was near Mai's sleeping face when he bent down to put the tray on the table.

Naru smirked, ready to throw a remark. "Who—?"

The door to the base swung open and in came Yasuhara. When Yasuhara saw the boy who's still in the process of letting go of the tray and crouching over near Mai, a large grin spread at Yasuhara's face.

"Ah, Kirio-kun~" He called and the boy straightened up immediately and looked at Yasuhara, slightly uneasy.

"I-I came to deliver some green tea yokan," the boy named Kirio explained, resolving to look at Mai instead, and smiled at her. It seems like it was hard to look at others except Mai.

"Only for Mai~?" Yasuhara teased loudly and Naru frowned. The latter knows what counterproductive behavior means when he experiences one.

"No, it's for all of you," Kirio said quickly and gazed at Mai again. "Though…I think Mai-san needs it more…"

Naru frowned deeper. _How can he know that someone needs something more or not? Idiot._

Yasuhara noticed Naru frowning and the former grinned wider than ever. Yasuhara went nigh towards the boy and placed an arm over the boy's shoulder.

"That's very sweet of you, man," Yasuhara yipped. "So, before you go back to your room. How about we play a little game?"

The boy smiled. He was given a chance to stay and gaze at Mai's sleeping face longer than he expected.

"What game?"

"Well, as I said, it's just simple," Yasuhara pointed at Lin. "What color do you think, from this point of view, that man's eye color is?"

"It…" The boy stared at Lin and Lin merely had a poker face. "It seems like…a dark gray."

"Good," Yasuhara pointed at Matsuzaki-san and whispered. "How about that oba-san?"

"Red."

Yasuhara patted the boy's back in praise and pointed at Hara-san. "That girl?"

"Vi-violet."

"That monk?" Yasuhara pointed at Takigawa-san.

"T-tan?"

"Correct and correct," Yasuhara grinned and pointed at Naru. "How about that bishounen who's frowning and glaring at us?"

"B-black."

"EEEEEEEEEEENGGGGGGGGGGGKKKK" Yasuhara made an X with his arms. "Incorrect."

The monk laughed. "It's black, four-eyes. Have you not cleaned your glasses today?"

"My eyes are perfectly fine, hun~" Yasuhara pouted and grinned.

The monk frowned. "Then, what color do you reckon Naru's eyes are?"

Yasuhara beamed.

"It's green."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Stop that," Naru ordered to the Chinese man who was stifling his chuckling after Yasuhara's '_**little game.**_'

Truly, the Chinese man has never laughed at something except when Mai almost cried when Lin told her he hates Japanese. He laughed at her at that instance. In truth, at that time, he was trying to feel what Naru feels when the latter teases Mai. And he then understood that Naru or Noll gets amused to Mai's responses as much as Lin did when Mai told him not to hate her because she's Japanese.

On the other hand, Naru has to admit he was slightly taken aback. To imply that he was jealous of a guy who has merely the eyes for Mai is something ludicrous in his character. He _**was irritated **_with the boy, though, for being _**so noticeable **_at his infatuation with Mai that Naru can't help but bear his fangs. He despises such an explicit amorous display. What they may say is attributable to innocence must be blamed to hormones disrupting the brain's amygdala and triggering pubescent aggression (albeit restrained), indeed. But then, it is up to the person bountiful of such hormones that control would be upheld.

Gladly, the immature duo has fled. Naru made sure to glare at them down and commanded them to check the temperatures of all the rooms for their investigation as their punishment for their _**counterproductive behavior**_.

The reason why Lin was stifling laughs? Well, it's because it's the first time Naru spoke so unethically. In English.

_Naru turned to the boy named Kirio. "Excuse us, Kawabuki-san, but there should be __**no flirting in my presence**__. It causes my employees to be negligent of their duties, as you can see."_

_Naru glared at Yasuhara and Takigawa, the both of them snickering._

_The boy scratched his head, shrugging. "Ah, sorry, Shibuya-san. I-I shall be going then…"_

_With a nod to no one in particular and a last look at Mai, the boy left. Naru turned to the mischievous duo, frowning._

"_If you have nothing to do, well then, I will give you a task that will give you more than what you ask for," Naru sneered at the chuckling men. "Both of you will go check the rooms' temperatures. Only both of you."_

_Takigawa sighed, trying to hide his remaining laughs as possible. "Look, Naru-bou, we were joking. I mean, Yasuhara was teasing you, not me. And look, I'm going to buy you the magazine with Mai wearing a swimsuit in it. So—"_

_Naru made a very wicked-looking smile. "_**Get your arses off here.**_"_

_Takigawa was shocked and asked Yasuhara, "What's an _**arse**_?"_

_Yasuhara whispered back playfully. "He means 'butt,' hun~"_

_Naru can't help it any longer. "Get to work!"_

Naru sighed. He'd indeed gone too far—which was strange for him. He was usually calm when it comes to Yasuhara's teases. But then, something was bothering him deeply and people messing with him is something he could not let pass at that very moment.

What he saw at the surveillance room was something that affected him in a way he couldn't explain. Should he be happy? Should he be scared? Should he be the same indifferent person he's always been? He's not usually someone who'll be concerned or care. But then, something was really gnawing at his head…burning him out.

He gazed at Mai's sleeping form and somehow just thought how fragile she was when he caught her while falling. _Was she always that…seemingly easy to break? Yet…how can someone so small carry such power? How can she__**take**_ _so much power?_

Mai has always been a cheerful person and Naru thought of it as a sign of her great strength. But now, he somehow thinks it will become a liability instead. Especially when things have become more complicated as it seems. She might not handle it and cheerfulness can become a great façade. And Mai falling like that was a start of the end.

And he knew very well the reason why her body became so heavy all of a sudden for her to collapse like that, as if the world weighed her down.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

**4:17 pm**

Naru pressed forward on the remote and stopped to a scene wherein Mai was standing on the fourth floor landing, only her back visible. He pressed play and saw Mai grew rigid as she probably saw nothing at the bottom of the staircase.

Just then, some shadow moved, and Naru saw a small figure behind Mai and pushed her.

The figure turned instantaneously to the camera and Naru narrowed his eyes as he zoomed on the figure.

It was obviously the girl and at the same time not her. And her face broke into a wide wicked smile, her porcelain face shining in the light.

"Naru, look," Lin distracted him from the figure and Naru gazed at where Lin's hand is pointing. Lin was looking at another monitor in the surveillance room, watching a video from a camera beside the staircase where Mai fell. Lin replayed Mai's fall and Naru saw it.

There was a long silence when the fall ended.

"She…" Lin started slowly, staring at Naru oddly and seriously. "…floated. Naru, that's—"

"PK-LT," Naru muttered, his eyes narrowing further than ever.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**A/N: OMG Mai has floated! (I'm such an emotional author, am I not? LOL) What do you think would happen to Mai now? What would Gene do? I really have fun writing this story and I hope you all were delighted in reading this too ^^ How was this chap? You may share your thoughts ^^**

***PK-LT= Psychokinesis on Living Targets**

**Oh yeah, oh yeah! Have you all seen Shiki? It's another novel by Fuyumi Ono that's been turned to manga and anime! The manga and anime are still ongoing! I'm currently waiting for the 36th chapter of the manga and the 13th episode of the anime ^^ It's a good pastime if there isn't anything to read or when I don't know what to write. I recommend it!**

**Oh yeah, oh yeah, want to see Naru's insolent smile? It's in my profile! Hehe ^^**

**PS: Edited some parts~~**


	5. Sleeping Beauty

**A/N: Yes, I know very well that it took so long and I'm very sorry T_T I've been preoccupied with life and school as with the rest of the world so I haven't been able to gather my thoughts and type them straightaway. I'll still try my best though to have the next chapter done by the next month (it'll be a long wait again, I'm sorry T_T). But, yes, I want you all to know that I'm still alive and kicking with an idea or ideas in mind ^^ So, I assure you all that I would still continue to write no matter how many years (I also hope it won't take that long though o.O) it would take me. XD**

**Terms Beforehand;**

**Mai=Dance (Japanese meaning)**

**Lucid dreams=dreams wherein one knows he or she is dreaming**

**Shounen-ai=a genre wherein a boy likes another boy**

**Torii=a traditional Japanese gate usually seen in shrines**

**Anime Otaku=anime fan**

**Geta=wooden clogs**

**Sesshouseki=killing stone**

**Oji-san=uncle**

**Oba-san=aunt**

* * *

**Review**

"Naru, look," Lin distracted him from the figure and Naru gazed at where Lin's hand is pointing. Lin was looking at another monitor in the surveillance room, watching a video from a camera beside the staircase where Mai fell. Lin replayed Mai's fall and Naru saw it.

There was a long silence when the fall ended.

"She…" Lin started slowly, staring at Naru oddly and seriously. "…floated. Naru, that's—"

"PK-LT," Naru muttered, his eyes narrowing further than ever.

**End of Review**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**Shadow is not the absence of light—merely the obstruction of the luminous rays by an opaque body.**

**~Leonardo da Vinci~**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**DAY 1; 8:32 pm**

Naru noticed Lin nodding at him. Naru frowned as he recalled his and the Chinese man's discussion before.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

**DAY 1; 4:25 pm**

"PK-LT?" Lin furrowed his brows. "Are you saying that Mai has PK-LT?"

Naru just nodded although he was uncertain why he did so.

"You know there are two things that participate during Psychokinesis and those are the agent and the target, Noll," Lin elucidated. "To be an agent and a target at the same time is unheard of. Can we really say it's Mai's PK-LT at work or rather simply just levitation made by that doll's mastermind?"

Naru frowned. He's not one who makes irrational conclusions. True, he was unsure of it himself. Actually, the word PK-LT just came out of his mouth before he registered what he commented.

_Was it simply a mistake? A slip-of-the-tongue? _But then, when did he ever have a mere tongue slip? Everything that comes out of his mouth always makes sense. If his unconscious is telling him something, then maybe it is something worth delving for.

Naru smirked. "It may seem unheard of but we could count it in the infinite possibilities a psychokinetic can do. Besides, I think it is plausible after seeing that video. If you remember one of our poltergeist cases before in England, there was a child who floated—"

"—and everyone thought the child was a victim," Lin continued and he stared at Naru in the usual incomprehensible look. "But it turned out it was the child who did the poltergeist phenomena."

"Exactly," Naru nodded. "But our theory before was that there were two of them who did it; each phenomenon did by someone different because that was most reasonable. After all, children are egocentric and seemingly would never intentionally cause harm to themselves. At least, that is supposedly the mentality of children. But now that I think about it, maybe egocentrism of a child can become distorted such that attracting pity to oneself boosts the child's ego."

"So then, the reason Mai used PK-LT on herself would be…?" Lin frowned.

"A Sympathetic nervous system's reaction," Naru speculated.

"You mean, her brain sensed danger and her body simply acted on its own?" Lin was stunned. _Some fight or flight tendency? _The Chinese man could not help but wonder.

Naru nodded. It was extremely reasonable. For Mai to harbor such a power means that her latent sensitivity has heightened to a large degree, causing her to suddenly acquire some kind of defense.

"It is the only explanation at this moment. But we still have to know more about this _ability_ of hers," Naru frowned. "This is the first time we saw this and we cannot afford to lose any data. If it was that doll's work, we'll know when Mai wakes up."

"You mean…?"

"We'll know if ever she wakes up tonight or maybe after a few days or when she would faint again once she woke up and moved a lot," Naru shrugged and gazed at Mai.

If there's one thing Naru dislikes about his own power, it was the fatigue that overwhelms him once he used it. And he knows very well that the most taxing of all kinds of Psychokinesis is the one that involves movement of a living system. Especially when it is a first.

"Let's see…" Naru muttered to himself.

**END OF FLASHBACK & OMNISCIENT**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

The fog cleared and I felt myself walking. Though I haven't memorized the paintings, I was probably walking in one of the upper floors' corridor.

_How…how come I'm dreaming again? _I cannot help but ponder, though I'm acting as somebody else. Usually…I don't have consecutive lucid dreams…even post-cognitive ones. And what was most alarming…was that…I feel as if I'm Fumenmoku…not Mai…as if I was overcome by…

…

_What?_

…

_Who—?_

…

_Dance? What dance?_

A glowing face and chestnut brown hair popped into my mind.

…_Kou… _I remembered sadly.

_I forgot…I left him while dancing…_

I shook my head. _What are you thinking, Fumenmoku? Dance or whatever, you shouldn't be thinking of anything but your sister right now!_

I halted and gazed sadly at the white door with carved roses all over it.

_Why…? Why has it come to this…?_

I have always known that Midoriko loves Kou very much. Ever since they met when we were children, she has always been talking about him. As I can remember, Midoriko was eight years old when she first met him and everyday when we were still children, Midoriko and Kou played at the garden while I was stuck in the tower, working to create a masterpiece my father would be proud of. And when Midoriko and Kou's playtime was over, Midoriko would happily go to my working place, telling me her day's adventure with Kou and more revelations about him.

Midoriko likes to talk about herself and Kou and would always tell me off when I call her onee-san (since she's actually older) but I didn't really mind. Because no matter how hard father has been at my every failure, I survived them because of Midoriko's cheerful stories. Her presence while I was stuck in the tower soothed the loneliness I always experience when father locked me up. I was a caged bird but it did not matter at all because Midoriko was always outside of such cage, jubilantly telling me, implying to me, that the world outside is a happy place.

And that I'll get out of the cage someday.

But then, I realized:

_**Getting out of the cage means getting into another one.**_

_**A greater and formidable one.**_

I was ten years old when I first met Kou. I didn't even know it was him until we introduced ourselves to each other. It was during my first ever attended party and it was Kou's birthday. I was Midoriko's substitute since she's very sick. Albeit weakened by the illness, she just bid me with a sad smile and told me that it's great that I'm finally meeting Kou instead of just listening about her stories and descriptions of him.

Father would not have allowed it because he has always mumbled at me that, "It's not yet your time."

But then, mother insisted on my coming and told him that he'd promised the Mochiyuma household to grace them with his daughter who's been quite a lovely playmate to their son all those few years. And since Midoriko is sick, it wouldn't change a thing if they brought me. At least, bringing me would be a good company for Kou even if I'm not Midoriko. And with her persuasive techniques, mother told father that I need a time for relaxation too. That I need to get out too because if I won't be able to, I might not get an inspiration and create the masterpiece he'd always wanted me to produce.

"_And our Moku-chan is well-behaved," Mother had said enthusiastically. "I'm sure the Mochiyuma household would love her very much!"_

"_Mika—" Father tried to interrupt._

"_And it's like killing two birds with one stone too!" Mother had went on, clapping her hands. "You were planning to introduce her as a dollmaker someday right? What else would be a lovely debut to the artisan's society than a gathering such as this? Even if you'll say she's still an apprentice, our Fumenmoku has always been subsequently outstanding in her performance!"_

My father just sighed after all my mother's insistence. She has always hated it when my father punishes me and locks me up in the tower. There were times when I was not allowed to eat so that something would push me to create something unique, something that would fulfill father's unfulfilled dreams and transcend them entirely. And my mother was always there, running to the tower and giving me food in the dead of night, treating my wounds in the process and crying for pain in my place.

Father is very ambitious and my mother knew that. But she knew her protests against my father's Spartan treatment won't do me any good. The forerunners of our clan have always been great artisans, no matter the specialization, and suddenly cutting off what has become an expectation of our genetics would be an insult to those ascendants who had placed silver spoons in their offspring's mouth simply by making a living through art. My mother does not like to have fights with father, especially ones she knew she cannot negotiate with. She has always wanted a peaceful life that's why my father planned to build our home on a mountainside, overlooking the villages, far away from the crowd, and closer to nature.

"_We're also going to witness the engagement of my daughter, Fumenmoku, to the son of the noble house of Mochiyuma, an esteemed family of which the greatest architects the world has ever seen sprung forth…" Father had said…_

I sighed. I was always expecting that it would be Midoriko. She's known Kou longer than me after all and has always been open about her love for him. Sometimes, I envy her confidence. I have somehow accepted my loneliness ever since my father locked me up in the tower to work. And when I met Kou…I realized how much more loneliness I have to take. I didn't know how to be open with anyone. I don't know how I should act at all. I have always been secluded and I have become so introverted that even my true feelings should be concealed…

And yet I fell in love with Kou…and I had no other choice but to hide it. Because if I won't…I'll hurt Midoriko. And losing Midoriko…is the worst.

_I…don't want to lose you…Midoriko…Did we not promise each other to get out of this greater cage together? That no matter what…we'll be there for each other…?_

And yet I have to admit I was guilty too. When Kou is present, I could not stop my feelings from overflowing. No matter what I do, even though my conscience forbids me to show it, I could not stop the feelings that want to come out.

_I want to be happy too…I want to feel the happiness that Midoriko experienced too…But what am I supposed to do…? I love Kou and yet I could not be with him…But now that I have a chance…I'm losing somebody else…I don't want that…I don't…want to lose Midoriko…She has always been there for me…She's never turned her back on me…and now…she's doing it because…I'm the one who's turning my back at her…I'm the one who's given a chance after all she's been through for Kou…_

_What is the essence of this chance when I don't even deserve it?_

"Midoriko," I knocked on the white door. "It's me. Please open the door. I want to talk to you…please."

_Please don't push me away…_

"I don't want to talk to you," a voice said venomously behind me and I shivered but I held myself and turned to look at Midoriko, still wearing her black lace and lime organdy gown yet her hair was disheveled, her headband askew, and her cheeks streaked with tears.

"Mido—" I stretched my hand sincerely, hurt at what I'd done to my sister.

_Why did father suddenly arrange Kou and me like this?_

She slapped my hand away and glared at me fiercely. "Don't touch me, you liar."

_No! I didn't know about all of this!_

Midoriko smirked. "And yet you're not refusing the engagement. How can I believe such deception?"

"Midoriko, please li—"

"I don't care," she snapped and went past me, strongly bumping my arm in the process yet not minding anything.

_Please…don't turn your back to me…_

The tears built up within me fell unstoppably.

_Why do we have to be separated like this?_

_Why…did I fall in love with the same guy as my sister?_

_Why must I have to hurt my sister just to be happy?_

Midoriko opened the door to her room and I followed her brusquely.

_I don't want to lose her!_

"It's not what you think," I explained genuinely as she traversed her room to her bed. "I didn't know. I-I've never even dreamed that Father will—"

She turned to me, her eyes in slits. "That father won't marry you off to Kou?"

She pointed at me accusingly and furiously. "You, who's always been his favorite? You, who's always been ahead of me? You who's always been the target of all affection all these years? You, who's always _**loved**_ by Kou ever since? And _**YOU**_, who's _**SECRETLY **_loved him too?"

I sobbed. _That's not true!_

"Midoriko—I-I—"

"DON'T SPEAK ANYMORE!" She wailed and slumped down on the floor, devastated. She began to sob hysterically, covering her face. "Why…w-why you of-of a-all people? Why y-you who has never even d-done anything to win K-Kou over?"

I sniffed along with her and swallowed my own sobs before kneeling down before Midoriko. "I…I've always thought that you deserve to be with Kou because you've always been trying hard…I-I have always known…that my feelings for Kou cannot compete with yours…I…you're my sister and I…I care for you more than Kou…Besides…I'm just a doll…I have no other choice but to let Father mold me into a life he's always dreamed of…"

Midoriko put down her hands and glared at me through reddened eyes. "No, you are not."

"Midoriko, it's true—"

"Stop lying!" She stood up hastily and looked down at me. "You say you're my sister yet you're not even willing to give up anything for your sister! You're very spoiled, aren't you? You're always used to have everything you like, right?"

"That's not—"

"Yes, it is!" Midoriko snarled. "I'm the real doll! Yet your fake dolls are more precious, aren't they? You're a _**DOLL**_, you say? HA! All my life, I tried to be the perfect doll so that Father would like me too! But no! He preferred your dolls! He preferred being with you! He preferred giving attention to you! Mother keeps on encouraging you while I was deprived of any encouragement to do something worthy of praise! I'm the real doll and yet I've become a mere shadow of your fake dolls! I've become a _**shadow of you**_! What is the use of being the doll in this family if I'm only for display? What is the use of being a display if nobody would even gaze at me?"

I opened my mouth but I don't know what to say.

Because it was all true.

All this time, I was always wallowing in self-pity because Father always locked me up. But I'd never known…I was depriving Midoriko of all the attention…I thought…I thought she only empathizes with me that's why she comes to the tower every day. But it was also because nobody else listens to her.

It was because…I always…unbeknownst to me…I have always actually been my Father's most prized daughter…

"Mi…I-I'm sorry…" I murmured sadly. I'd never known that I always have everything Midoriko wants to have…

_And now…even Kou…Why?_

She scowled. "Sorry, you say? Ha!"

She examined me icily.

"It's all very unfair but I won't lose to you," Midoriko spat. "I'll make everything fair and you have no right to refuse!"

"Mi—"

"I have always been practicing secretly," Midoriko interrupted coldly. "I have always been doing my best. And so, we will see."

She smirked at me.

"Let's see who will be the best _**dollmaker **_and the one who deserves to marry Kou!"

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**10:30 pm**

After Lin left, frowning and saying that he'll leave his shikis to guard Naru and Mai, Naru seated himself in front of the monitors and read Yasuhara's background information of the castle. When Takigawa and Yasuhara came back from their punishment a while ago, Naru had dismissed the rest to their rooms. He'd decided to discuss about the castle's history after breakfast tomorrow and send them to their respective missions.

Naru glanced at Mai before looking back at Yasuhara's clippings. Naru made sure Matsuzaki-san checked her pulse and breathing before she went to sleep herself. It was normal so it seems like Mai is actually stronger than he gives her credit for.

_So that means the energy she used wasn't detrimental to her body…just enough to make her fall asleep…_

But still, it was a great mystery. He and Lin had prepared for the worst in case she needed to be rushed to the hospital but no such instance came.

_Could it be that she's dreaming…and someone from the other side is helping her regain the lost energy?_

Naru frowned at the thought.

Because he just knew the right person who might probably do so.

But then, expending energy to somebody else in the spiritual world won't really hurt Gene. Not even when he was still alive.

_Still…_

Such a word preceding 'alive' might have made anybody remember misery, pain, and longing. Naru did find emptiness quite overwhelming at Gene's demise, but he did not dwell over it. Finding Gene's body was merely an end to the 'missing' brand what one may call modern Scotland Yard has on top of his brother's picture. At least, that was what he's convincing himself to believe.

Knowing that another him ceased to exist, a different him, is a loss he could not fathom. But that kind of empty feeling somehow abated when he knew that his brother has taken into fooling around (or as according to him, 'guiding' a reckless young woman), intervening in Mai's dream ever so often.

Naru did miss his brother. But it was a kind of missing that does not induce tears from him. It wasn't that being with Gene wasn't memorable. It was that shedding tears would amount to nothing. To Naru, it's like a disgrace to Gene's memory. Happy memories inducing sadness is a grave contradiction. And Naru didn't want to spoil Gene's memories like that.

Naru sighed for the umpteenth time that day. It was only the first day of the investigation and there are many things that are already ramming inside his head. Naru can't help but frown too at what he recently discovered while reading Yasuhara's clippings. It was a dead end and finding ways to penetrate such must need a lot of…insinuating schemes.

_It seems like someone's trying to outsmart me._

Naru smirked to himself.

_But I'm more clever._

He pinched the bridge of his nose and thought pensively. What exactly can he do to get what he wants? In what way should he approach the matter? Somehow, his brain won't work properly at the moment.

And the self-loathing is slowly emerging again…

"Naru…" Mai muttered and Naru perked up from reading the files.

He had almost forgotten that Mai was there and Naru could not help but just stare silently at the sleeping young woman. What he could see was the top of her head. He couldn't see her face at all.

_Is she dreaming?_

Naru hesitated to stand and find out.

"Naru…"

Naru sighed. _Better to know what she's up to in this dead of night._

He stood up and massaged his temples before nearing Mai.

"Naru…?"

"What is it?" He was already in front of her and he could see her closed eyes clearly.

_Dreaming…_

"Come closer…"

Naru stared. Mai had a 'pouncing' history from the previous case after all. Naru frowned. He clearly doesn't want to wake up numbed because he's been made into a pillow.

"Naru, come closer…"

The narcissist sighed and instead of coming closer, he just leaned cautiously. Despite the fact that he hated to admit it, his curiosity was searing his mind and a possible source of amusement was slumbering just in front of him.

"What?" He said loudly for her to hear perfectly.

And Mai punched him lightly.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

Although it was a light punch on the face (specifically on his chin), Mai's uppercut has enough force to awaken Naru's senses. The narcissist glared at the sleeping girl, taken aback yet a little annoyed.

_Not only sleep-talking but also sleep-boxing now?_

The narcissist frowned as he massaged his chin.

"Naru…"

"What?" Naru snapped involuntarily before recalling that Mai was just sleep-talking.

There was a pause as the narcissist waited, irritated.

And then…

"I love you, you jerk."

Naru blinked as Mai smiled in her sleep and went totally silent. He stared at the girl for a few moments and then smirked.

_To go as far as while dreaming…_

Without hesitating, he stretched out his right hand and patted Mai's head softly.

_Idiot._

Somehow, hearing her say those words again ebbed away his late night annoyance with her and the current occupational stress.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**DAY 2; 7:11-7:41 am**

The SPR irregulars met with the now four SPR regulars at the base, the three in some silent discussion and the other one still stuck on the sofa.

Takigawa sighed desolately at Mai. "It's past ojou-chan's beauty sleep already and yet she's still asleep. She should be very hungry right now enough to wake up. Can this day get any better?"

Yasuhara smiled at the monk as the 'silent' discussion with Naru and Lin ended. "It can be better with the upcoming field work."

"Field work?" Ayako asked anxiously after checking Mai's pulse and declaring that it's still normal. "That's not the kind of work that could chip off my newly painted nails right?"

Takigawa boffed. "Oho, oba-san and her vanity on the loose~"

Ayako glared and Takigawa merely winked, undaunted.

"Where will we be going, Shibuya-san?" John asked.

"To the surrounding villages," Naru replied tersely.

Takigawa frowned. "Why so sudden? Do we all have to go? What about Mai?"

Naru just nodded. "The background information about this castle is incoherent with the hauntings. There was nothing at all that might be connected to the events occurring here. The only way to get valid, although questionable, information would be to go to the surrounding villages and gather information there since this castle has no neighboring houses."

"I see…" Takigawa sighed, looking at Mai. "Mai probably had a helpful dream last night but sadly, she's still sleeping."

John nodded. "To get that much reaction yesterday…That was too much to handle."

"It's as if it's saying, 'You're trespassing' at us," Ayako agreed, crossing her arms.

Masako gazed at Naru. "But is there really no one that we can pinpoint from this castle's previous inhabitants, Kazuya-kun?"

Ayako frowned at Masako. _If Mai wasn't sleeping she would probably be seething at Masako's boldness to call Naru so intimately right now…_

"What is unusual in this castle is that nothing is unusual," Naru explained. "Nobody from the past can be suspected. Only the current inhabitants are likely to be involved in the present occurrences."

"Nothing unusual?" John blinked. "What about yesterday's events, Shibuya-san?"

"What happened yesterday may simply be a manipulation of advance machination that Japan has not yet seen," Naru said indifferently.

"So that's why you suspected that Kirio boy yesterday," Ayako smirked. "I've heard that he's also a genius like you."

"To be a '_**genius like me**_' is impossible," Naru responded airily and Ayako gaped at him as he smirked.

"You—"

Naru ignored Ayako and sipped Yasuhara's tea, which made the woman fume.

"It did not seem like a development in robotics though…" John thought pensively. "The dolls yesterday…moved…so fluidly…"

"Yeah, I don't think they're robots too or something," Takigawa frowned.

"That's why you'll be looking for supernatural facts in the surrounding villages," Naru said a matter-of-factly.

"When you said that nothing is unusual, what do you mean, Shibuya-san?" John wondered.

Naru just turned to Yasuhara, who nodded.

"The previous inhabitants here were Kawabuki-san's great uncle's family," Yasuhara started. "Kawabuki-san's genealogy can be traced back to the Wakkako clan. This castle was built just after the Second World War and finished a year after. Kawabuki-san's great uncle started to live here with his family on the last month of 1946. The Wakkako family lived peacefully—which is a great wonder."

They were all skeptical, indeed. Who would think that after what happened yesterday, the previous inhabitants did not have any problems at all?

Naru sighed. "The Wakkako clan was headed by Fukushima Wakkako, the one who had this castle built, an expert of the arts, a craft master, and the father of a well-known and oft-sought dollmaker, _The Blue Butterfly_."

"Blue…Butterfly?" Masako asked attentively, narrowing her eyes. "Could it be…?"

"It is a pseudonym," Naru elucidated. "A fictitious name of Fumenmoku Wakkako, a young and gifted dollmaker. She is famous for being sought after by elites, collectors, and owners of museums and establishments for her dollcraft mastery. Her dolls were characterized by their 'humanness' due to their soft surfaces and texture likened to the skin and body of humans. Those dolls were once thought of as 'companion substitutes' but they were still immovable and are only fit for display."

Ayako shivered, then realized. "Those dolls yesterday were probably hers, right? Those dolls resembled real people…And there were male dolls too."

"And some of them were the servants who died here," Yasuhara informed, showing a folder which actually contains a compilation of the dead servants' profiles.

"Isn't that Fumenmoku most likely the culprit of all of this? For all we know, she went crazy and all before she died…and her ghost is killing anyone…" Ayako uttered.

"And how would you explain to somebody that a ghost has been murdering people?" Naru raised his eyebrow. "No matter how strong ghosts are that they could cause disturbances at different houses, accidents that happen are usually indirect. Ghosts may hold a human person and try to choke him or her, but to use a weapon to kill someone is something that is impossible for ghosts themselves. They could hurl things at anyone, they may give threats, and they may throw people in the air but to hold material things and thrust them at anyone is not possible. That is exactly the reason why possession happens. They need to possess someone to grasp things that are made in this world. Their grips as a ghost are not as solid as when they are in a human body that can hold their souls."

"But what about that Urado guy before? Him and his servants were ghosts too and they killed a lot of people!" Ayako gestured.

"Those aren't ghosts; they're monsters," Naru said, frowning. "Entities beyond exorcising. They may have a ghost-like form but total tangibility has never been a trait of a ghost."

"But, Naru-bou," Takigawa said. "If this girl, this Fumenmoku Wakkako, could not hurt someone as a ghost, it means that she's controlling those dolls right? Or, can we say she's a monster too?"

"Controlling all of those dolls yesterday like a puppet master is impossible even for a ghost," Naru frowned. "Such instances are only make-believe if there are resources that speak of it. And if it's a monster we're dealing with, that is still verifiable."

"If…a ghost could not kill anyone directly," John pondered. "Then that means that the ghost 'possessed' the doll, right? We didn't hear any possessions of people happening from Tenura-san."

"Or _**ghosts **_possessed the dolls," Yasuhara supplied. "There were a lot of dolls who barricaded us yesterday. So it's like having a lot of culprits."

"But surely, there's a mastermind behind all of them," Takigawa frowned. "But can a ghost control other ghosts in dolls? Especially ghosts who've been killed by that ghost—well, indirectly that is or whatever?"

"Ghosts possessing dolls may be one of the theories, albeit still questionable," Naru said. "But everything is still inconclusive. Fumenmoku Wakkako did not die in this castle. She went to Germany and resided there until leukemia killed her. There were also no family feuds that could be taken into account. She was not also disowned. If she's the ghost who's behind all of this, there are no reasons that could be traced. For a ghost to haunt a place, a place in another country at that, where he or she did not reside during her death is still unheard of."

Everyone fell silent as the rest absorbed the new information.

"On the other hand…to go to neighboring villages…can we really get the necessary information there?" Masako pondered.

Naru just nodded to Yasuhara again.

"Well, throughout the years that this castle was uninhabited because of the death of Fumenmoku's mother and father, there were subsequent disappearances of people: mainly in Oshino, Yamanaka-ko, and Doushi villages," Yasuhara explained. "Looking at the statistics, about at least one person would be missing every month from those surrounding villages or towns. However, when Kawabuki-san's family and the servants moved here just recently, there were no disappearances in the villages insofar. Instead, some people in this castle died of supposed hemorrhage and acute heart attack and the hired detectives went missing."

"…Like…it's because of accessibility…?" John muttered and everyone fell silent because they knew exactly what he meant.

Masako hid her mouth as she soon spoke, trying to mask the fear and desperation that could be seen in her eyes. "It's like a hunt…"

Naru narrowed his eyes.

"Time is running out," Naru said and turned to Yasuhara. "You and Brown-san would be going to Yamanaka-ko village while Takigawa-san and Hara-san would be investigating at Oshino village. Matsuzaki-san and Lin would be going to Doushi village. "

Naru took some key from his right pocket and everyone surveyed it. A small white bunny keychain was looped on the key and everyone thought Naru might actually be a bunny fanatic until he tossed the key to Yasuhara.

"You'll be riding Mai's motor scooter with Brown-san," Naru said, disappointing Takigawa who's about to tease him with the bunny. "Takigawa-san will use his car and Lin would take the van of course."

How he got Mai's key was a great mystery. But almost everyone just secretly assumed that Naru's feisty hands might have been applied the night before.

"I think I should stay, Kazuya-kun," Masako quipped, frowning at Mai's sleeping form, and Takigawa smirked.

"Ara, realizing you're at a disadvantage huh, Hara-san?" Takigawa chirped and Masako glared at him. Huffing and scowling, Masako moved out of the base after saying she'll be waiting at the driveway and was followed by John who said he'll do the same thing with Yasuhara.

Ayako narrowed her eyes at Lin. "Although I'm glad to be with _**somebody else **_for once, it's a great mystery that you're willing to leave Naru's side like this."

Lin just smiled, amused. "There's no use baby-sitting someone who's almost past legal age."

Naru shot daggers at Lin but the latter just smirked as Ayako laughed.

"That's all there is," Naru sighed. "You should all go now and come back before sunset. If you could not, you should call to this castle to inform what happened."

Takigawa frowned. "But, Naru-bou, without Lin beside you and with Mai still sleeping, how would you protect yourself?"

Naru simpered arrogantly. "Who do you think I am?"

"Well…a narcissist?" Takigawa replied and Yasuhara snickered.

Naru ignored the sly comment. "I've been a ghost hunter for a long time now. I know very well how to handle malicious entities."

Takigawa frowned. _He wouldn't be risking his life again, would he? Mai might die of grief if that happens…_

"I would leave some of my shikis to protect Naru and Mai, Takigawa-san," Lin assured. "There's nothing to worry about."

Naru just looked away, frowning as though Lin just spoilt his statement. If he was an ordinary boy, he might have been pouting.

"I thought you only have two," Ayako said, curious.

"I have gathered a few more recently," Lin explained.

No one dared to ask anymore. They were wasting more time than they'd ever thought.

Before filing out, Takigawa turned to look at Naru, squinting his eyes. "Don't try anything to Mai while we're away, alright, young man?"

Naru smirked. "What I'll do is up to me, Takigawa-san."

Takigawa gaped at him like a father would when his daughter eloped with someone. "You—"

"Let's go, you monk!" Ayako's hand gripped Takigawa's arm and hauled him out.

Naru heard another bicker outside of the base but he did not mind anymore. Still smirking, he gazed at Mai.

_It'll be a long day._

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**7: 56- 10:37 am**

_This…feels very awkward…_

Yasuhara frowned as he drove Mai's silver motor scooter…

And with John nonetheless…

With the latter's hands on his stomach in a…very awkward embrace.

It was a good thing that a male servant in the castle has a motorcycle and let John borrow his helmet. The road down was very tricky. From smooth cemented road to a rocky one, the transitions were endless and the bumps tiring (and not to mention butt-cracking).

_How exactly did Mai endure this road while we were riding up yesterday? So gracefully in a skirt?_

The four-eyed young man could swear he saw the young woman dancing with the wind uphill as if nothing mattered.

But then, what Yasuhara was most uncomfortable with was the young priest's clinging onto him for dear life. He just could not understand what the young priest was so afraid about. His driving wasn't really fast and Yasuhara does not fancy motor scooters anyway. Hell, he could go to Tokyo University by attaching himself with a rope on a train's end and breeze away with roller blades and he would still prefer it over riding two-wheeled vehicles.

_But then, this is a first._

Yasuhara could not help but think of something mischievous. John was by far the nearest-yet-farthest reliable friend in SPR. Thinking about it, nobody even knows that much about John except that he is a young priest from Australia. What was he like before entering priesthood? Did he experience some trauma before becoming ordained that might be a reason why he's clinging to Yasuhara right then?

_Or is this some development in some shounen-ai story I might soon be a part of?_

Yasuhara can't help but shake his head in his foolishness and grinned.

_Ahh, the possibilities are tempting to be explored…_

Yasuhara realized, as John's grip on his shirt went tighter, that their acceleration while going downhill was gradually increasing though. They were nearing the last turn and the quite dangerous drop down the mountain.

"Hold on tight, partner!" Yasuhara shouted against the wind—as if John wasn't already doing so—which was going uphill and carefully swerved to the last curving road which led to a steeper drop than the others. For a moment, Yasuhara expected the posterior of the motor scooter to go up—as they hit the end of the mountain and the start of the road to Yamanaka-ko village—and then the entire motor scooter to do a somersault in the air with them in tow because of the impact. Luckily, they only experienced quite a powerful yet smooth jolt and were then traversing a flat ground. Yasuhara soon found out that it was because of his reflex to suddenly move his tightened hands on the handlebars in a forceful upward motion that the jolt was accomplished—quite a leap with a motor scooter and a companion.

_Safe, safe~~ _Yasuhara expelled a happy sigh, feeling as though he's an expert motorbike rider.

Trees surrounded them and one might have thought that there would be no village up ahead. Thankfully, John's embrace has loosened and the young priest was merely gripping the sides of Yasuhara's shirt as he gazed sideways at the towering trees.

They had both planned to go to Yamanaka-ko Village Office to ask for the list of missing persons first before asking around the town or catching rumormongers' stories on the streets.

The day was very cloudy and some looming shadows hovered from afar the horizon. It was like pressuring them, telling them some sort of a time limit for their investigation or else they would be trapped in the village they'll be going to. Rain sloshing over roads on mountains is hazardous after all. Much more sinking wheels in muddy roads.

A welcoming road sign relieved them both of their feelings of being lost individuals when the trees seemed to be endless and started to look like swallowing creatures.

Yasuhara and John stopped occasionally for directions to the Village Office. It was getting hotter and the stops for directions were dragging them. So far, they haven't heard anything about missing people or talks about the castle. The villagers were quite preoccupied with their routines to care.

The people in Yamanaka-ko village were quite polite and cheerful. But then, the place has always been flocked with tourists so it's no wonder; and to the villagers, Yasuhara and John were probably one of those curious tourists or something. Having new people stream in your own hometown can truly make you proud, helpful, and somewhat happy after all.

No one doesn't want attention after all, consciously or not.

The Yamanaka-ko Village Office is a white-washed seemingly 2-story building with windows and doors made of glass and framed in wood. The parking lot was full of cars and people were busy coming in and out of the place.

As they approached the entrance, they noticed a young girl sitting on a bench beside it and staring at her toes. She was probably some officer's daughter, left alone to wait outside or something by a workaholic parent. As far as Yasuhara knows, village offices don't have kid stations.

Resisting the urge to ask the kid something— as that is John's gentle nature—the young priest nodded to Yasuhara before entering the somewhat spacious lobby. They checked the building's map, examining the different sections or divisions of the office.

"Which division do you think is responsible for missing people?" John asked softly.

"Either the General Affairs or Resident Division, I think," Yasuhara speculated. "We could have gone to the police station but that would be very suspicious. For 'tourists' like us to check for missing people instead of swans in Lake Yamanaka…"

John nodded.

"There's no mistaking they would have at least a list of those people," Yasuhara informed. "It's part of the whole system, whatever that is."

They climbed the stairs to the second floor, earning a few stares from here and there. As they were about to turn a corner to the General Affairs Division, they spotted a bulletin of pictures and were mortified to recognize a collage of missing people's pictures plastered all over the rectangular thing. Glancing at each other furtively, they scrutinized the photos in silence. Some of the pictures were yellowing and old, featuring faces of black, gray, and white variety. From infants to old people, there were a lot of missing persons that they could not distinguish if they were all gone because of supernatural phenomena or simply because of malicious human intentions.

"How can we trace target areas with this, Osamu-san?" John asked pointedly as Yasuhara frowned.

As far as the SPR gang is concerned, no one knew any information about the missing village people (or tourists) and asking for each profile of all missing souls would be too time-consuming. The profiles are probably in the police station too and asking for such files would be tricky.

_And hacking is out of the question…_Yasuhara thought glumly. _I didn't bring the necessary equipments with me…_

Almost defeated, the duo turned their backs on the bulletin, ready to leave.

"Is there something I can help you with?" A tall black-haired man in his late 20s approached them, smiling despite of the sad reality just behind the two.

"Um…well…" John glanced at Yasuhara worriedly.

It was the first time that somebody approached them in the building. They knew that the people they met in the hallway were curious about them but no one has neared them yet.

Except this particular accommodating man.

Yasuhara nodded at John in permission. Asking one man honestly of their intentions there wouldn't hurt. It was a part of their plan after all.

"We'd like to know if there's someone who has a clue about the missing persons every month…" John inquired.

The man's smile vanished and he stared at the young priest as if he said something ridiculous for a second before shrugging and, in a fake irritating laugh, saying, "Nobody knows that's why they're missing, right?"

Yasuhara almost face-palmed as John's cheeks turned pink with the man's response. Thinking quickly to save his friend's dignity, Yasuhara put a hand on the man's shoulder (since his arm could not go over his shoulders) in a play of friendly intimacy and smiled mischievously.

"Listen here, _oji-san_, we little kids who came from the mountain are tired and famished and drained and are deeply curious enough not to take 'nobody knows' or 'no idea' or whatever excuses there are to shoo us. So…how about giving us little kids even a _**very silly**_ answer, at least just to satisfy our problematic and curious state and at least a _**loving **_response to our humble request?"

Yasuhara looked at the man pleadingly and John almost swore that his partner would bat eyelashes at the man.

The man seemed dense enough though and just gazed at Yasuhara oddly. "Any…silly answer?"

"Yup, any answer," Yasuhara nodded and the man frowned.

"Is this a part of some project in your school?" The man asked and both of them nodded willfully.

The man sighed and as though battling with himself, he said in a low but audible voice, "The priestess said they were spirited away."

Yasuhara and John were astounded and glanced at each other, letting their eyes communicate and inquire if they both heard it right.

"Spirited away by what?" Yasuhara queried. _Is this man serious?_

"A god," the man said, frowning as he detected the skepticism.

To Yasuhara's surprise, John asked, "Which god?"

The man blinked at them before muttering.

"_**Kyuubi**_."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

Both of them went out of the village office, still processing what the man had said to them.

"_Spirited away…a god…__**Kyuubi…**__"_

Yasuhara soughed. "I guess my persuasion was too much."

"What do you mean, Osamu-san?" John gazed at him closely.

They both halted and stared at each other.

"Well…that man was probably messing with us," Yasuhara scowled. " 'Kyuubi,' he said. A _**Kyuubi kami**_…now that's quite something…"

_Oh well_—Yasuhara thought—_I told him to give me any silly answer after all._

"Do you think we could connect it with the events happening in the castle?" John wondered. "Like…it's actually a god who's the reason for those things?"

"No way…" Yasuhara narrowed his eyes and then grinned. "I've never thought you'll believe that there are such gods, John. But if you said you watched Naruto or Ga-rei Zero, I might just forgive you."

John blinked at Yasuhara. "Um…what?"

Yasuhara resisted the urge to laugh. "Never mind. I jest~~But, you're not going to say it might be the sesshouseki, are you?"

John looked at him in confusion and Yasuhara chuckled. _He's not an anime otaku then~~_

"Osamu-san…?"

Yasuhara pursed his lips. _Still…a quite mythical creature as a god and making people vanish and die like that? I just don't think we should conclude so easily…Hmm…I guess we'll let it lurk in our minds for now…_

"Osamu-san…?"

Yasuhara turned to him. "What is it?"

A hand tugged at his shirt and Yasuhara looked down to see the girl, who was sitting on a bench a while ago, looking back at him with black eyes. She was wearing a simple red dress and geta which matched with a red ribbon headband that wrapped around her shoulder-length black hair. Her heart-shaped face broke into a smile at him.

"What is it?" John asked first, beaming at the girl. She looked about 6 years old or something.

The girl made some guttural sounds and pointed at the two of them when the latter stared at her in confusion. She made strokes in the air with her right index finger and it was after a few looping strokes that the duo realized the girl was actually a mute.

The girl frowned at them when they still did not understand what she was writing in midair. She grasped their arms and led them near the road. Afar, the girl pointed at a small hill with a set of stairs…and Yasuhara and John finally understood.

"Torii…" John muttered. "You want us to go to the shrine?"

The girl nodded and John glanced at Yasuhara in recognition. _Why…?_

"Can you lead the way?" Yasuhara asked and the girl smiled toothily, pointing at a small bike she probably used to arrive there.

Was this child actually waiting for them there? Or was it merely a child's folly to guide assumed tourists to the shrine first and foremost?

Yasuhara looked at John who, he noticed, was looking at where they came from.

"What's wrong John?" Yasuhara asked.

"Osamu-san, when we saw the castle…there were only five, right?" John looked at him seriously.

Yasuhara was _**very**_ confused for the first time. "Five what?"

"Well…I see seven towers right now…"

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**11:43 am**

The day was uneventful for the narcissist. Naru had just finished interviewing the male servants who've seen some apparitions and progress isn't going anywhere. Frustration was slowly seeping into him as all he heard from the male servants was seeing a dancing will-o-wisp that either tripped them or knocked their buttocks off. The male servants were scared, alright; but to Naru, it may simply be desperation for the validation of supernatural phenomena.

Naru felt a tug at his shirt and he glared at the person who disturbed him.

He saw the little girl named Rika Kawabuki cower at his gaze and he relented, softening his countenance (if you call expressionless gaze a 'softened' one).

"What is it?" He said, trying not to growl.

The girl smiled at him. "Four-eyes-nii-chan told me to give you this!"

And she handed him an elastic tie-bundled and folded papers (like a tube). It was clearly the background information from each of the villages he sent the rest of the SPR gang into.

Naru frowned disapprovingly at the thing. _What is he doing by ordering a little girl to do his job?_

"I'm going to check on Mai-nee-chan!" The girl quipped and Naru just narrowed his eyes as the girl hopped off.

Naru looked at the spine of the bundled papers.

_Super-Natural?_

Naru smirked. _Quite crafty for an information source._

Sighing, Naru unfolded the bundled papers and held up two soft-bound materials.

His eyes trailed down from the titles.

And saw Mai on the front covers.

In a bikini.

HIC HIC

**END OF OMNISCIENT**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

I woke up in front of a paradise. Or so I think. I'm in a white-sanded shore of an island, sprawled on a recliner. I looked at the view before me, the far place where the horizon and the light blue-green waters of the sea meet. An overwhelming feeling of tranquility washed over me.

It felt like I was dreaming yet at the same time it all seemed so real. I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of nature throughout the island.

"Are you feeling alright now, Mai?"

I snapped my eyes open and sat upright immediately, stunned. "Gene!"

I could never have mistaken such a gentle voice and beautiful smile. I looked around.

"W-where are we?"

"This is my heaven," Gene said and I squinted my eyes at him, suspicious. "A place where my mind can create various things."

I pouted. "What kind of 'heaven'?"

_Is this his way of messing with people?_

Gene blinked at me, astounded, and then laughed heartily, so loving it was to my ears as it reverberated the island.

I blushed, embarrassed, though uncertain why I should be. "W-what?"

"It's as if you think I'm some kind of a pervert," Gene stifled his laughs and I blushed vehemently, causing him to laugh wildly yet soothingly.

I've never seen this side of Gene. _Is he this playful when he was alive?_

Then, remembering his death, I threw away my thoughts. _He's still alive! As long as we see each other like this! As long as I meet him like this!_

But, truly, I wish I could have known him when he was alive.

I wish he and Naru would still see each other.

"S-stop it…" I said as Gene continued to laugh.

Gene nodded while laughing and then inhaled and exhaled. In the spiritual plane, it was as if he was a living person.

Sadly, I frowned. _Would it be better this way?_

Gene gazed nostalgically at the same horizon-and-sea-water-intermingling I've been examining before. _A place where his mind can create various things…Is it like this for everyone…?_

"I remember my idiot scientist of a brother," Gene said, a tint of desolation on his features.

He saw me looking at his saddest expression yet and smiled at me.

"I'll tell you one thing about him, Mai."

I blushed. "W-what are y—?"

He leaned near my ear playfully and whispered.

"When Noll sees girls wearing almost nothing, he hiccups very badly."

It was as if my soul was in flame.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Ge-Gene!" I gasped, red from head to toe as much as possible as I can be in the spiritual plane.

Gene started his series of laughter again, embarrassing me.

"M-moh!" I stood up and decided to enter the forest behind the shore.

Gene held my wrist and halted me, apologizing, trying to stop his laughs as much as possible.

"I was joking! I was joking!" He chided.

Somehow, he has some similarities with Yasuhara. I pouted and Gene smiled at me. _But, it's refreshing to see him like this…Someone who looks like Naru…to laugh like that…it's…shocking and welcoming…_

Usually, I meet Gene with a serious look in his face, telling me about something important to cases, warning me, and assuring me. But now, he seemed like he's having a vacation on all of that. Somehow, I feel relieved that he's acting that way right now. It's like he's showing me that there's nothing to worry about. Only Gene could tell me this without saying anything.

_Well…the narcissist too…_

"I told you, we'll be training, right?"

I blinked. "Training?"

_Is that the reason why the place of our meeting is different than usual?...And Gene acting more…carefree?_

He nodded and frowned. Somehow, he looked like Naru when frowning…_Well of course he is…duh._

The scene changed and then we're under a magnolia tree at the top of a small hill. Gene sat on a swing that's attached to the tree's thick branch while I sat on a white linen blanket spread over the soft grass.

"I wasn't expecting though that you'll be here this soon."

I nictitated, still slightly taken aback with the change in scenery. "What do you mean?"

"How many dreams did you have, Mai?"

"I-I don't know…" I scratched my head.

Gene nodded. "It seems like you haven't woken up yet."

Gene stood up from the tree's swing and then the view changed again. I realized that we're on top of a cliff. Gene took my hand and led me to the edge of the cliff. It was strange but I was really not nervous.

"I guess we should start off with a spiritual pseudo-experiment," Gene explained and I blinked at him.

"Pseudo-experiment?" I asked absent-mindedly.

Gene nodded and looked at the ravine below. Although I was not nervous, I still didn't look at it though.

"We'll need Noll with this too so I'll be calling him while we're at it," Gene said solemnly.

I furrowed my brows. _What…?_

He smiled at my confused expression. "We have to know what kind of ki or energy you possess, Mai."

"Ge—"

Gene suddenly leaned and kissed my left cheek.

"Trust me."

And without looking at me as I blushed spiritually, he hugged me and whispered to my ear.

"Heat or freeze up, Mai."

And then we were falling over the cliff.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**11:51 am**

After drinking lots of tea, and concealing the magazines with Mai on the front using his clipboard and other files, Naru finally heaved a sigh and gripped the edges of his work table angrily.

_That sly—!_

THUD.

A gasp echoed the walls. "Mai-nee-chan!"

Naru turned to the little girl now sitting on the floor, some tears in her eyes as she held her right wrist and gazed at Mai unbelievably.

"What happened?" Naru approached and the girl swished her head to him, crying.

"Ma-Mai-nee-chan's very hot!"

It was then that Naru noticed the reddened right palm of the girl. Naru looked at Mai instantaneously and saw clearly the glowing blue aura he's very adept of.

_What's happening to her? There's nothing dangero—_

Naru stared. _Is she having a nightmare?_

Despite knowing Mai's sleeping expression turned into an uneasy one, Naru took a step forward cautiously and felt a vibration. He looked at his pants' left pocket, feeling the thing inside it sending waves to him.

"Gene," he muttered. Another series of waves went through him and it was as if he could hear his twin saying…

"_Try it with Mai, Noll."_

Naru frowned but he was curious enough.

Because he knows exactly what Gene meant. But he'd never thought of doing it with Mai.

_An experiment, huh?_

Naru stared at Mai, trying to zone out the little girl's cries around him.

Should he risk it? Should he participate in this rash endeavor to gain Gene's replacement in balancing his ki?

Naru frowned to himself. _What's there to lose?_

Before his mind could process the unspoken question any further though, Naru neared Mai as he called an appropriate amount of ki to his right hand.

_A seed growing…reaching out…emerging from the earth…from the soul's vessel…_Naru focused his energy on his right hand.

And he placed his right hand over her arm gently.

And was thrown back.

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**A/N: T_T I guess I'm really cruel to Naru. Sorry, Naru! *hugs computer screen where his face is shining***

**Anyway, enough of my silliness. ^^ This is my late Christmas and early New Year present to all of you! And I'm sorry for the late replies I've been quite busy with school lately and domestic matters that need immediate attention. I'll try my best to get the next chapter in a week or two like in Reminiscence ^^**

**Thank you for reading ^^ How was this chapter? You may share your thoughts ^^**

***Kyuubi=nine-tailed fox**

***Naruto and Ga-rei Zero=both are anime that contains kyuubi in their plots**


	6. Intersubjectivity

**Terms beforehand;**

**Onigiri=rice cakes made of sushi rice and some salt; they can be shaped in rectangular or circular form…or any form as unique as the maker is…heehee ^^**

**Soba=buckwheat noodles usually dipped in sauce**

**Shounen=lad/boy**

**Ero- =it's a shortened affix or can also be used solely; it means erotic or sexy**

**Bocchan=little/master darling ( o.O )**

**Ebi curry rice=prawn/shrimp in curry + rice ^^**

* * *

**Review**

"_Try it with Mai, Noll."_

Naru frowned**,** but he was curious enough.

_An experiment, huh?_

Naru neared Mai and charged an appropriate amount of ki to his right hand.

And he placed his right hand over her arm gently.

And was thrown back.

**End of Review**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

_**"Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat."**_

_**~Ben Hecht~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**MAI DREAMS**

I woke up in a dream and found myself levitating upright in the familiar negative-film structure of the castle, with suspended will-o-wisps. It seemed like something was stopping the motion of the brilliant greenish orbs.

Like a silent nightwalker, Gene crept up from beyond the blackness of the scenery**-**as usual, in his dashing black outfit and softly swishing (though there's no wind) black hair.

"Gene!" I called out to him in urgency.

He nodded, louring. The playful glint in his eyes hadworn off and was replaced with a foreboding glimmer.

I panicked since I could feel that there's something extremely wrong.

"What's the matter?" I asked anxiously**, **and Gene's look softened. "Please tell me."

Preparing himself to say something that's probably mind-wrecking**, **he shut his eyes.

I gulped.

"You have…" He paused, as if restating in his mind what he mustsupposedly utter at that moment.

I crossed my fingers behind my back in the spiritual plane.

"There's a psychical imbalance in you, Mai," he said softly and clearly.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"W-what do you mean, Gene…?" I questioned, stumped.

"Before…you only have ESP, right?" Gene inquired and I nodded. "But now…you also have PK**,** and…it's overflowing…"

I gaped at him. _P-P-P-P-P-P-P-PK?_

_I have a power like Naru's?_

Gene bobbed at me.

_No_**,**_ wait…There are three kinds of PK…if I remember right…And I don't even know which is Naru's—_

_Wait a moment!_

"Is that why I'm having electric shocks in my brain lately?" I gasped.

Gene was astounded too. "That's what you feel?"

"I-is it perilous?" I swallowed. _To have PK suddenly…how?_

Cogitating, Gene was quiet for a while.

Then...

"It all fits, Mai," he spoke finally. "You've been having continuous lucid dreams, right?"

I nictated and tried to see his point. "I—yeah…It really feels strange…I've never experienced a series like this…"

"It's probably because of the psychical imbalance, Mai," he surmised."Since your PK's ki is overflowing, the ki you have from your ESP is trying to cope up by making you undergo consequent dreams."

I gasped. "That's like I'm trapped here! W-what am I supposed to do if I can't wake up—?"

Gene put his hand on my shoulder**, **and I felt my shoulders gradually sag, relaxed, as though he transferred something to me…some tranquilizing feeling…

He beamed to me assuringly. "It's alright. You will come out from here once the ki of your ESP is in equilibrium with the ki of your PK."

"Equilibrium…?" I perked up, remembering the last scene we were in together, and I drew a breath. "W-what was that before? That pseudo-experiment? The—"

I paused, blushing. _T-the kiss?_

"It was to know if you have the right ki to help Noll, Mai**,**" he reasoned, "and the kiss on the cheek was my tactic for disarming you; whilst, the fall wasdeliberately for you to use your power unconsciously."

_Reading my mind just like Naru! _I reddeneddeeper.

"Y-y-you—"

"Ero-scientist?" Gene supplied friskily**,** and Imight have resembled a ripe tomato then.

"I didn't mean that!" I exclaimed, abashed, and Gene went on with his series of laughter. Somehow, I could not just stop thinking about how beautiful he was even in the spiritual plane.

I soughed. _I…somehow miss Naru…_

"Do...do I have the right ki to help Naru, Gene?" I queried hopefully.

Gene halted laughing; his face was unreadable as he shook his head, and my hope bubble popped out.

He ogled at me with perturbed orbs. "It seems like your overall ki repels Noll's, Mai."

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 2; 2:15 pm**

If Naru roused on the wrong side of the bed, he could not distinguish it. But he could feel something numb, prickling, and stinging at the left side of his forehead. He held the origin of the peculiar sensation and found some gauze—and a bump—on there.

He scowled as he recalled what had occurred, and he'd never thought he'd be flown sideways-resulting to him colliding his head on the wall.

_Mai…_

Pondering, he put a hand on the gauze. _So she resisted…me? Our ki…isn't compatible then…_

_MAI!_

It's as if an alarm clock rang out, and Naru immediately sat upright and began to stand up.

Yet, out of nowhere, strong hands hauled back to bed.

"Oh, relax and rest up, will you?" an old woman's croaky voice sounded, and as Naru whipped his head around, she was glaring as he glared at her. "You're having a concussion, for Buddha's sake!"

Naru had never seen the old woman before. As to his knowledge, there were no old female servants in the castle's premises...but he did hear that an irregular nanny visits the Kawabuki children every now and then.

A cane in hand, the beldam slouched over him disapprovingly. She was wearing a plain black kimono with a lavender obi. Her wrinkled face hovered at him like a taunting prophet.

"You should worry about yourself more, young man. This world isn't as nice as—"

Naru zoned her out. He gritted his teeth and then resorted to form his lips into a grim line. He's not really good in dealing with nagging women. Especially with old nagging women. Naru merely glimpsed at the old woman who ratted away about how utterly reckless he was.

_Who is this woman anyway?_

He resolved to scan the room he was in instead.

_I'm in my designated room then._

"Where's Mai?" Naru asked, halting the old woman's droning speech. Although she might not know who he was talking about, he needed the diversion rather than listen incessantly to the beldam, who ranted on about how reckless teens nowadays spoil the next generation's minds.

_Mai and her newly found power…_

"The girl who was sleeping in the room you fainted in?" she wondered, and Naru glowered at her because of how she worded her query.

Unfortunately, the narcissist was then unceremoniously smacked on the head with the elder woman's cane.

"Young ones, these days! Can't even answer a question with respectful eyes!" The irate old woman had a gander at him unfavorably, almost hatefully. "If you're worried about your _**woman**_, don't be! Kirio-bocchan is guarding her! Heaven knows, if she falls for him, it would be better!"

Naru narrowed his eyes. It was too much. The woman was talking too much, to his dislike, and even hit him. Naru knew etiquette, alright, and he knew how to respect elders. Maybe it was because he banged his head that his patience was thinning, or maybe it's just some of the leftover stress hormones that suddenly maximized during the recent encounter. Whatever the reason, Naru resolutely slipped out of the bed instantaneously, out of the beldam's extending hands (which were ready to pull him back), and stared her down.

"I have no time to rest," he stated firmly and, relenting, added politely, "_**dear**__** madam**_, and I have work to do here. Thereby, I cannot afford to relax while my subordinates are out there working to find clues of what is happening here. Understand this, _**dear madam**_, that I am not doing this for my sake but for your young master and young lady's."

It had been a long time since Naru used quite a gentlemanly elocution to subdue someone. At that instance, he was truthfully irritated and didn't care. The statements had an effect on the old woman, though, as she eyed him in a daze.

Noticing, he just smirked and exited the room abruptly before she could express anything else.

"_Heaven knows, if she falls for him_,_ it would be better!"_

Naru fleered as he worked his way down a staircase. _Mai isn't as shallow as you think she is__._

_She's in love with me after all…_

Naru halted as he realized what he just thought about.

He's conceited, and he knew that very well. But then…what made his conceit so shaken…? Why was it that when it is about the possibility of Mai's waning love…he acts more defensive than ever? More…reassuring to himself…that Mai would never stop loving him?

Naru loured at the air. He was mulling over inessential things inopportunely...

However, it was like Naru was rooted to the spot in the middle of the staircase. Ruminating had always been his greatest exercise, and his body had been hardwired to stop movement when his mind decides to do the habit. Thereupon, his mind carried on to another topic.

_If her PK is incompatible with mine…she cannot be Gene's replacement._

Somehow, Naru felt allayed. Back then, when Gene amplifies his PK, he was always disturbed about possible consequences. Although Gene suffered no particular harm, the idea that some danger abounds wouldn't get out of his mind.

In truth, he didn't really fancy it. He detested depending on Gene just to be able to use his own power.

How much more if he depended on Mai?

_She might not be able to take it. She might break down. She might…_

There were just too many repercussions if Mai becomes an amplifier…

As though thought-stopping, Naru blinked and randomly discovered something.

Narrowing his eyes once more, he wondered, _When did I start to worry so much about Mai like this?_

Naru would usually categorize people as pumpkins or not pumpkins. Pumpkins were people he chose to ignore and somehow forget, eventually becoming nonexistent to him; whilst, those who were not pumpkins were categorized into two: pumpkin other and pumpkin people. Pumpkin other consisted of teachers (deemed worthy of teaching him something he didn't know) and weak people. On the other hand, pumpkin people were those he remembers and responds to casually and nothing more. Those who weren't suited to the categories were included in Naru's so-called 'inner group,' which composed Naru's parents, Gene, and some people from the British SPR, including Madoka.

It was easier to live that way. To choose with whom to associate with made his life undeterred by people whom he didn't need in his life.

_But which is Mai?_

With the way things were going, he noted that the part of his life which Mai pervades had now become immense. He'd never stopped to reflect about it before, but just then, he realized that Mai's invasion in his life had come to a point in which he unconsciously started caring for her well-being.

_She's not a pumpkin…_At least, that was something he's very sure of. He never ignored her after all and never thought of doing so.

_Is she a part of pumpkin people or pumpkin other?_

Naru was perplexed about himself for the first time. He's not someone who would care for people so much to such an extent as he did with Mai. So, why was he like that with Mai?

_What is she to me exactly? _Naru asked the question to himself for the first time.

_An employee…A friend?_

Naru frowned. He's never treated or labeled anyone as his friend. As usual and as Naru's consistency would allow him, there were only pumpkins and not pumpkins bustling about everywhere outside of his inner group.

_What is a friend anyway? Someone you can argue with all the time?_

Naru shrugged, remembering his quarrels with Mai.

In the depths of his recollection, though, he remembered one fine evening he'd spent with Mai.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

Naru coolly leaned on the doorframe of the kitchen.

"Why are you still here?" Naru queried although it was obvious to him. It was one of those times where he sees what his perky assistant is up to just to kill time.

Mai shrieked and flinched. Seeing that it was just him, she suspired. Garbed in her school uniform and a frilly never-before-seen apron, she squinted her eyes at him.

"Sheesh, stop creeping at me like that," she scowled at him.

Naru quirked his eyebrow and glanced at the pot and pan sitting on the open stove.

"What are you doing?" Naru started again.

Mai pinkened. "I'm cooking yours and Lin-san's dinner. Isn't that obvious?"

Naru loured. "It's already past your working time, Mai. We've already agreed that you'll be staying here for only 2 hours during school days━no more and no less. Go ho—"

He halted as he saw Mai looking at him as though she was about to cry. Releting, he soughed and spun around.

"Do what you want."

"Hai!" Mai responded cheerfully, and Naru scrutinized her.

She didn't appear as if she was about to cry at all. _Come to think of it, this isn't the first time…_Narrowing his eyes, he approached her and stared her down.

"W-what?" Mai noticed, flushing crimson and shunting her head.

"You really fancy play-acting with me, huh?" Naru accused, and Mai reddened deeper.

"T-that was—!"

Naru smirked. "So, you like manipulating me like this just to test your skills?"

"That's not true!" Mai defended and then gestured wildly. "I-I-I—what are you talking about?"

"Then, why are you pretending you're going to cry over a simple matter such as not letting you cook for my dinner?"

"Be-because I want to cook your dinner, alright!" Mai exclaimed and then covered her mouth in shock as Naru fleered in satisfaction. Flushing scarlet, Mai shouted, flustered, "Stop teasing me, you jerk!"

"You want to cook my dinner…?" Naru persisted insolently. "Why…?"

Mai let out a breath in frustration and glared at him. "Mohh…Do I always have to tell you the reason why I do the things that I do? I want to cook your dinner because I c-care for you as a fellow human being, alright? Take it as an extra service at work!"

Flushing yet huffing, she opened the pot with her bare hands before Naru could stop her and she yelped as she felt the hot utensil burning her hands. Sighing, Naru grabbed her arm, hauled her gently to the sink, opened the faucet, and let the water flow on her burn.

"There's a cream for burns in the restroom cabinet," Naru instructed.

"Um…" Mai flamed and Naru frowned.

"Why are you even cooking when your nature is being reckless?" Naru remembered something and leered. "Are you this smitten with me?"

Mai gawked and mantled. Then, as if enabled to structure her next words, she glowered at him. "Well sorry if I'm reckless! And I'm not doing this because I'm smi-smitten with you! Ah moh! Why are you always teasing me about my feelings for you when I do something for you?"

Naru shrugged, and his eyes glinted in amusement. "Why are you cooking me dinner, then?"

"It's practice! Practice!" Mai said and pulled her arm away from his grasp. "I'm practicing for my future husband, got it? And that doesn't mean it's you, so don't be conceited!"

Mai looked at him determinedly, and Naru gazed at her quietly as he closed the faucet. _So she says…_

"I see," Naru drawled. He was pushing her buttons than usual, and somehow he didn't want to end it too quickly. "So, you see me as a potential husband, huh."

Mai blushed darkly. "I do not!"

Naru raised his eyebrow. "Really?"

Mai blinked and gaped at him before reddening again. "I-I-I-mohh! Stop teasing and asking me about such things!"

She wended towards the stove again and cannily held the lid of the pot with gloves this time. She turned the stove off, ignoring him.

Subsequently, Naru didn't know why he asked. But, the question smoothly slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"What am I to you then?"

He did not ask to irk her; that was for sure. He didn't even know why he asked it. It was simply a query hanging in the air.

Mai did not blush or gape at him. She simply eyed him as though wondering about the answer herself.

She gradually looked away. "I-I don't see you as a future or potential husband alright…"

If it was a lie or not, Naru did not comment about it.

"You've already told me that," he said, "so, what am I really?"

Reluctant, she bit her lip. "Y-you're my boss—"

He sulked, and Mai gestured wildly again. "Friend then!"

He didn't know why, but her answers made him dissatisfied somehow.

Mai blushed, and soon softly, so softly, she muttered while playing and looking down at her skirt, "Y-you're someone special, alright…Honestly, why do you make me blurt embarrassing things?"

She probably thought what she said was inaudible, but Naru had been born with super hearing.

_Or maybe she knows…_Naru contemplated.

Getting some plates in the kitchen cabinet, she faced her back to him and started serving the food from the pot and pan. Mantling and averting her eyes, she handed him what he could surmise as rice topped with curry.

When Naru just ogled at the plate, Mai soughed. "It's _ebi curry rice_. It's not poisoned, nor would it make your body undergo chemical reactions, alright? I already made it many times and had Obaa-san taste it so many times. Take it already before I change my mind and give it all to Lin-san."

Mai pouted at him, and without any word, Naru took the plate. Mai just swiveled once more to put some food on what he assumed as Lin's plate.

"Don't wait for me, Mai," Naru spoke in an undertone. He knew very well that Mai might go home very late at night if she insisted to stay longer. He was discouraging her, but it was better that way. He'd always known that Mai, despite her unpredictability sometimes, wasn't really a flexible person.

Expressionless for the first time and piercing him with her eyes like never before, Mai peered at him solemnly. Afterwards, she suspired and beamed at him. "I'm not waiting for you, Naru. I'm not wishing to stay by your side anymore."

"That's not what I meant." _Why does she sound as if she's going to leave?_

Somehow, it wasn't Mai who's getting discouraged; it's him.

She smiled again, and Naru realized that her smile wasn't dazzling: It was painful.

"I don't wish for you to return my feelings. Besides…change is constant, right? This feeling…it would all just fade away when I found someone…I'm not going to bother you while I'm waiting for that person. Don't worry."

Naru gazed at her as she finished her task and went to Lin's office to deliver his dinner.

Emotionlessly, Naru headed towards his office door. But, before he could open the door to his refuge, he was feeling so disconcerted.

"I don't mind if you bother me at all," he unconsciously muttered to the air.

**FLASHBACK ENDED**

* * *

Waiting for somebody else to love…

Why did the idea irk Naru somehow?

Naru grimaced. _What am I doing, wasting my time like this?_

He had to get to Mai as soon as possible. The effects of PK might be more dangerous in her situation than with him.

_She might not even wake up…_

"Shibuya-san! Shibuya-san!"

Naru knitted his brows at the incoming voice. He waited for the disagreeable (to him) boy to appear at the bottom of the staircase. The boy who was infatuated with Mai materialized without doubt and saw Naru in the middle of the staircase; the latter arched an eyebrow at the former.

"What is—?"

"Mai-san is missing!" the lad cut him off.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 2; 10:56 am**

Takigawa sighed for the umpteenth time during the ride.

He gazed at his rearview mirror and sighed again. The monk was not used to silence—exactly the reason why he went down the mountain and went on with his life as Norio, a bassist of a band. He found the silence tormenting…and Masako's silent treatment made him feel exactly unspeakable.

Takigawa suspired. _This is why Mai-chan wins for me…_

Really, he needed the probably-still-sleeping young woman's cheerful chatter than a blizzard of abyss Masako emanated in the backseat of his car.

_She's still angry for not being able to stay with Naru then…_

Takigawa frowned as he recalled what Naru had told him before they left the castle.

_"What I'll do is up to me, Takigawa-san."_

He gripped the steering wheel tighter. _That sneaky narcissist! If he dares to tou—!_

"Can we stop here?" Masako's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh?" Takigawa said, glancing at Masako through the rearview mirror once more and to where she's pointing. "Oh…yeah, alright."

Takigawa was quite preoccupied that he didn't notice they were already in Oshino village. He had been following the road down the mountain and passed by Marimo Dori and a few meters of Old Kamakura road before he swerved to the right (and thereon let his mind wander about mundane things). Takigawa noted the scenery around them though.

Trees were dense beside the road at some point, and they passed by a red bridge, with Mt. Fuji in great view. At another time, they were surrounded by sunflower fields, grassy lands, and then more trees again. The monk had noticed a lot of windmill houses and spring ponds along the way━then remembering that Oshino was actually famous for those because of the pure water, which enriched their village specialty of buckwheat noodles. He wasn't really such a traveler, but he knew how to revel on nature's wonders and marveled at its bounty through fresh air indulgence. Indeed, it had been a long time since he'd been away from the rowdiness and pollution in Shibuya—a very long time that he'd welcomed nature to replenish him.

Takigawa parked beside a convenience store that Masako had pointed. Without a word, Masako slipped out of his car and entered the store. Takigawa, soughing yet again, followed the young woman. He spotted the medium snatcing some Hello Kitty onigiri, and he scowled.

He didn't mind the fanaticism, but really…

"If you're hungry, ojou-san, you should have told me," Takigawa suggested, crossing his arms, "I'll treat you to a proper meal."

"No, thank you," Masako replied, and he soughed again.

The condescension should stop.

"Look, ojou-san," Takigawa spoke, a bit assertive. "Enough of the silent and cynical treatment, okay? And enough of the it's-none-of-your-business aura because I need your cooperation here. We can't have all we want in the way we want, alright? So, if you want Naru to acknowledge you more, you should drop off that smug demeanor and cooperate with me, alright?"

Masako glared at him, but he just made his face deadpan. Takigawa wasn't really one who would become angry or frustrated for being maltreated in Masako's way. He was simply exhausted of being treated like an invisible man when he and Masako should help each other in Naru's given mission.

_At least, she's better than the old miko/hag who might inflict claw marks on my body during the ride…_

Takigawa continued, "It's okay to be angry, alright. But please don't displace it unto someone else. It's not my fault. Besides, aren't you always ahead of Mai? You always get the dates with Naru. So why become angry immediately when it's only right now that Mai and Naru are together like that?"

For some reason, Takigawa realized he was contradicting himself. Just minutes ago, he was steaming about leaving Naru with Mai. For Mai's safety, at least, Takigawa was worried. But then, he wanted Mai to be happy with Naru too. But she's still sleeping when they left; in other words, she's very vulnerable to masculine ministrations…

Takigawa shook his head and decided to trust Naru even though the latter's mysteriousness unnerved him. H ogled at Masako and was then astonished as he saw her flushing and pouting. It was the first time that Takigawa saw the young woman look so childish.

"I know I shouldn't…" Masako riposted and then scoffed. "But it's not what you think. Naru…favors Mai more than me."

It was then Takigawa's turn to lour. Truthfully, it was not the correct time to talk about girls' troubles in a convenience store, but then that was a first time for him. At least, with Masako, it was.

"Did Naru say that? That he favors Mai?"

"N-no…but…" Masako shunted her head and put a sleeve over her mouth. "I am not oblivious that he likes being with Mai than me. He's…more comfortable with her."

Takigawa somehow couldn't deny that truth.

"Yes, truth be told…" he mumbled, nodding, and Masako glowered at him venomously.

_Oops...Shouldn't have said that._

Takigawa shrugged. "Well, you see, _Hara-san_. I'm not really an expert with the _**movements of the heart**_, but I think that being with someone requires a certain uncomfortableness; don't you think? Without it, being with that somebody won't bring some excitement, right?"

Masako's eyes seemed to glisten. "So, you're trying to say that Naru's excited to be with me?"

"I don't know…" Takigawa squinted his eyes. "But just because Naru's uncomfortable with you doesn't mean he doesn't like you. It's just that…"

Takigawa stopped. _Wait…What am I supposed to say? I'm 100% pro-MaiXNaru here…so what can I say to an anti?_

Masako suddenly quoth quietly, "I understand. I know that I really have no chance…"

Takigawa goggled at her. _Is this really the girl who silently brags about her superiority with her smirks-under-kimono-sleeve reflex?_

_Besides…isn't Mai the one who seems to have no chance at all?_

Takigawa squinted at Masako. "You know…I think you are misunderstanding something. Don't you always get the chances to be with Naru? All Mai can even do is stay longer during office hours to be with him, but she can't even go out with him like you can. Mai's not really a persuasive person, nor is she, sorry to say this, an aggressive person like you can be, you know. So, how can you say that you don't have a chance when you always get the chance?"

Reflecting and probably relenting as she shrugged, Masako fell sullen. "I guess…you have a point…"

She reminisced what Mai said to her at the end of spring.

"_You're lucky, Masako__.__" Mai pouted with her chin on her working desk. "Naru treats you specially."_

_Masako blushed but then smirked. "I know he does."_

_Masako glimpsed at Naru's office door and remembered something…that sinks her affirmation and unintentionally said aloud, "But…you're more special to him…"_

"_I'm not__.__" Mai__ made a moue with her mouth,__ and Masako __just covered__ a kimono sleeve over her mouth. She didn't plan for Mai to hear that at all. "He's always rough and rude with me, you know? __Meanwhile__, he treats you daintily like a princess."_

_Masako suspired. "That is why you're an idiot."_

"_What?" Mai groaned._

_Ruminating, Masako looked at Mai solemnly and thought inwardly that if Mai just knew what she saw one time…she might not be able to say that Naru doesn't treat her more daintily than he does with Masako._

Masako eyed Takigawa pensively. "Still…Naru shows Mai his different sides than to me…and any rival of hers will be irked to just know that."

The young woman was sad; that's what Takigawa could conclude. Her eyes were glistening, some dawning of tears. So, he patted Masako's head just like he does with Mai. "Don't cry on me, now. I might just change my mind and vote for you instead."

Masako huffed; the glistening disappeared, and she swatted his hand off of her head. "I don't need your vote and consolation. I can do well with my beauty."

Takigawa cracked a smile. "Alright. Now that's settled. Let's go and eat a proper meal. My treat!"

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**11:35 am**

"So this is what you mean by a proper meal?" Masako adversely regarded the soba-filled plate on the counter in front of her.

_Cheapskate__, _she thought disdainfully.

They had been circling the streets for good restaurants, and the monk, Takigawa, stalled—without any consideration whatsoever to what the medium would like to eat—in front of a soba shop named Maisen to Masako's dismay.

"Alright, alright, easy on this old man, okay?" Takigawa clapped his hands together in an apologetic gesture. "But you see, if you hear Oshino, it's soba, soba! I've always wanted to try what it tastes like in this village. Besides, this shop has free tasting, you know! Although we have to pay for a 500 yen soba box after, but still it's worth it!"

Masako gave him a withering look, and Takigawa drew out a breath for the nth time.

"I know that look." He shrugged and then beamed. "But eating here can help us in our mission. Besides, soba has more nutrition than an onigiri, you know?"

Masako raised her eyebrow. "In what way can it help our mission here?"

Takigawa winked. "Watch me, ojou-san."

He leaned closer at the counter and said to a young man, with honey-and-platinum-highlighted hair, stretching newly made soba noodles.

"Hey, _shounen_. I'm new to this village, and I just heard something that really intrigued me…"

Trying to look hesitant as he gazed around, Takigawa made a puzzled and worried face.

"About the monthly murders?" the young man questioned as-a-matter-of-factly, startling the monk.

"Ah…yeah," Takigawa recovered, scratching his head, and then feigned a frown. "Nobody would tell me, you see. Just when they snagged me with their gossip! They stopped so abruptly when it came to the point of mentioning who did what…"

"That happens a lot here, mister." The young man just jounced his head. "It's the _**shinigami**_, so they're afraid that just at the mention of it would cause them to have a visit during their slumber."

_Wait a moment! _Takigawa gawked at the lad. "Shinigami?"

"Yeah." The lad shrugged. "If there's one thing we, villagers, know about, it's the fact that the murderer isn't human. So, it's a shinigami. There are a lot of old folks here anyway, so there's nothing that can be done about it."

Takigawa loured. "How can you say that, young man?"

"Because many have seen it," the boy replied, "and I saw it too."

Takigawa blinked. "You did?"

"Yes, but it seems to choose older people."

Masako and Takigawa just stared at the young man as the latter resumed stretching the soba noodles━without even a hint of fright at what he just professed to them.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 2; 3 pm**

"Where have you last seen her?" Naru interrogated icily at the empty base.

"She was just lying down on the sofa when I left her so I could get some snacks for her to eat once she wakes up—"

Naru didn't let the boy finish his sentence any longer. He already got the picture.

_Was she taken? Or…sleepwalking?_

He could only surmise that Mai was totally unconscious wherever she was. After reckoning profoundly and briskly, Naru decided to search the entrance hall.

"I-I'm going to tell the people in the surveillance room!" the boy called to him as the latter went out the base.

Usually, Naru was not one to do tedious tasks such as looking for a missing person by himself. He would commonly utilize his psychometry before anything else and would just command someone else to look for the absent person. But, there was no time at the moment, and nobody that's trustworthy could be spared for searching. At least, that's what he thought.

But then, he knew. _She can't be that far…_

Yet, the entrance hall was vaster than he'd thought.

_Where is she?_

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

"Where are you taking me, Kou?" I queried, trying to see through the red blindfold. "And why do I need to have a blindfold?"

"It's a surprise," Kou's deep and soothing voice replied. "Your father gave this to me as an advance dowry. This will be our hiding place: our secret place of escapism."

I smiled at the foolishness of the thought. _He knows…He knows very well that I'm still trapped…But…I'm not alone anymore…_

_Because Kou is also trapped with me._

_And as long as I'm with him…I cannot ask for more._

Kou's footsteps ceased.

"Alright, stop and listen to me." Kou held my arms tenderly. "Remember those months wherein I kept coming here, yet you can't see me?"

I bobbed.

"Well, I was actually renovating the place, and I changed the entrance so that nobody knows it━except me. It's perfect as it is now, but you'll have to trust me on this because we'll be having a descent."

"Descent?" I gulped, speculating what architectural innovations he had done on whatever it was he's going to show me.

"It'll be alright," he assured cordially. "The exit is different though so that, of course, it'll be easy for us to go out when somebody needs us. Or your father, for that matter, calls you."

I soughed and somehow felt enchanting butterflies in my stomach.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," I answered readily.

"I'm sorry for this, but I'll have to carry you," Kou informed, and I flushed crimson.

"T-that's—"

_**MAI! MAI!**_

I whirled around. _W-who? Mai? Who's Ma—?_

_**MAI!**_

I sensed a hand grip mine, but I couldn't feel any presence…_Kou! Where are you?_

I tried to let go from whatever was restraining me. _Kou! Help!_

No voice came out from me.

_**MAI!**_

And someone succussed me by the shoulders.

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**3:32 pm**

I snapped out of my dream world and peered at the most beautiful orbs I'd ever seen in my life. At times, they were a deep blue, and at other times they appeared so black. At rare times, they could be clear as an un-cloudy sky (but that's only when he truly smiles that his eyes sparkle and appear a shade lighter). No matter how they vary each time, they were always gorgeous to me.

And more so right then.

_So they can elicit such an expression…_

Those eyes were etched with worry, and for a moment, I had thought that it was another person and that I was still in an unending dream.

Until those eyes glared at me, and I found out who it is.

_So close!_

"N-Naru!" I pinkened. _He's too close!_

He released me and sighed. "You're awake."

"Y-yeah…I…" Rubbing my eyes, I was flummoxed. _Why am I standing at the entrance hall? Shouldn't I be lying __in__ the base?_

I gasped. _Don't tell me—? Again?_

"You almost hit the column, idiot," he said to me, and I ogled at the column he indicated with his head. "If this goes on, Mai, sleepwalking might put you in more danger than your recklessness."

Fuming slightly, I pouted at him but soon just huffed and ignored him.

_But he was worried…_

I felt so happy.

_Unfair..._

It was a crystal-like column, and I could not help but come nigh to it. It didn't seem to be fully crystallized though…More like, it's somehow just a very thickened glass that was shaped like a crystal.

I leaned on the column and inspected through the glass. It was like a blurry aquarium, but only without water or fish. The different bending of light and the thickness of the surfaces probably contributed to its haziness. But what was amazing, though, was that there were flecks of different colors if I would squint my eyes closely through the filminess.

_If only I could enter the aquarium-like column…I might like the kaleidoscopic view…_

I tried to look down through the column to see if it leads anywhere under, and it conveyed the impression that something was glimmering below. But I couldn't see too well…

I whipped around to the narcissist and pointed backwards over my left shoulder. "Hey, Naru, there's water below—"

"Mai!"

Something gave away, some step descending, as if my right foot just pressed a floor button. And it was like a cat flap…or a human flap for that matter.

And I was slipping away in a pit as though in a back dive.

_Really, with all these falling over, is the god of randomness trying to make me into a stuntwoman?_

Truly, it was then a hundred percent proven: I was a really silly person to think of silliness in times of dire circumstances.

But then, silliness faded when I saw Naru jump towards me and attempted to reach me with his outstretched right hand.

At that split second moment, I was utterly, sheepishly, and idiotically happy. Happy that the one I love just jumped through a cat flap (or human flap, for that matter) just to save me.

That he was risking his life for me even if he didn't love me back.

And I was so deeply touched that I didn't know what made me do it. But then, all I could think about—as Naru finally reached me and unexpectedly engulfed me with his arms as though protecting me from everything down there—was that I wanted the both of us to float in there forever.

And without a warning, we were pulled apart by an indecipherable force.

My heart sank with the briefest of intimate contact Naru and I shared.

And I fell somewhere.

Alone.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXF~nya~**

Everyone had what you call an ego boundary. It's like a turf wherein you isolate yourself from the world. And Naru, who values this boundary the most, trapped himself in it and excluded others who were pumpkins and not pumpkins.

Naru had always preserved this ego boundary. Even Gene could not completely penetrate it. To Gene, Naru's ego boundary was semi-permeable just as to the rest of Naru's inner group: those who were neither 'pumpkins' nor 'not pumpkins'. Naru had allowed it as semi-permeable only for them, but he'd never made it totally penetrable either.

But then, Naru conceived—when he leapt when he wasn't supposed to leap—that it wasn't because Gene could not penetrate his ego boundary that Gene could not reach him.

Naru grasped also that where Gene failed, Mai succeeded.

Because, right then, as Naru somehow flew to Mai, he learned that the latter has another special power.

He unearthed that…

_**It's only Mai who made him go out of his ego boundary like that.**_

Only Mai could make him swallow his pride and become uncharacteristic of himself for once.

That Mai, besides provoking him to come out from his turf, was also slowly destroying it.

That the reason why his thoughts and worries had then become centered to Mai was due to her presence consuming his life. And that the defense of Gene's failure was that, unconsciously or not, he wasn't able to do what Mai made Naru do.

And like a moth to a flame, Naru sprang when he wasn't supposed to spring.

The reckless Mai always found some flat surface to trip on.

Notwithstanding, it seemed like Naru had been attracted by a magnetic pull, so when Mai slipped over the incalculable pit, Naru was tugged along with her━with him reaching out a hand and, unthinkingly, encircling her with his slightly thin yet hardened arms, as if he was guarding a readily breakable object.

And recurrently, the narcissist perceived another thing: It seemed like Mai infected him some 'danger-wherever' virus.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

A rush of water and breath expelled.

In one second, I thought I was drowning. Yet I got a hold of my footing and instinctively made a jump in whatever-body-of-water when I hit its solid bottom's surface. It wasn't really bottomless, but it was still deep enough to have reached my neck. I spluttered the gulped water and swiveled around while moving my body in a way that I could not drink the water.

_What…is this place?_

The sun's pervading light irradiated the pool and every space that the cylindrical pit has. At the bottom of the long seemingly crystallized column were bricked walls, mossy because of age and the moist that was accumulated due to the open sky above.

"Are you alright?" Naru's voice alerted me, and I turned my head towards him.

"Naru!" my voice echoed everywhere.

I swam to the edge of the seemingly pool, and with all my might, I vigorously exerted to get out of it. Anyhow, I always glided back.

_Dang it!_

Naru was sitting with his back on a brick wall just across me. He was sitting like that one time when we fell in a manhole…

I gasped as it struck me.

_We were pulled apart because we both used our power!_

"Naru!" I hailed frantically, giving all my strength to my arms and raising my legs in order to go out of the pool as fast as I could.

"Don't strain yourself, Mai."

Naru smirked slightly at me, but I wasn't annoyed. He looked very pale, and I could see him panting and sweating.

_How can I not strain myself when you might be dying like this?_

"Naru!" I finally raised myself sideward enough for my center of gravity to shift and for me to fall over the edge and out of the pool. Consequently, I was greeted by spider lilies—wickedly, eerily, and vibrantly red in the sun's spotlight.

_Naru!_

I stood up immediately and darted to him. Soon, I sat in front of him and held his hand. I gasped as I felt how cold he's becoming...how further his consciousness was skating further from me.

"Naru…" I susurrated, unable to control my tendency to sob. _It's my fault! Why am I so reckless?_

"Don't…cry, idiot," Naru told me, louring slightly, as he probably espied my teary eyes. Even while struggling, he could still work his sharp tongue out. Even when he couldn't frown properly…

"You jerk!" I cried. "Why did you use your power? When you know this'll happen?"

"Mai, you…"

And Naru closed his eyes to me.

"No!" I wailed and joggled Naru by the shoulders. "Naru, wake up! Naru!"

He did not even budge.

_Anyone! Help us!_

I called Naru's name over and over again like a broken music box.

Naru had used his power just to save me…_How could I simply let him die on me like this?_

"Naru!" Not knowing what to do, I sobbed and bowed my head on the floor.

His breathing was becoming shallow, and I didn't know where we were. I didn't know where the others were.

_Who could help us?_

_Naru…_

"Please…" I pleaded, crying. "Wake up…"

But there was just quiescence.

I buried my face on my cupped hands.

_Why…? Why? Why is this happening? I still want to make him happy! I still want to make him smile everyday!_

Just then, a sound emitted and reverberated the place, and mystified, I instantly perked up at Naru.

I had never been so struck speechless all my life. I struggled with my expression…not knowing what I should let my face project.

I might have just misheard it…But I had heard that noise enough when Michiru and Keiko always used that toy against me as their usual prank.

I…didn't know if I should continue crying or truly laugh at that instance.

The randomness was just SO CRUEL.

And so I simply concluded: The fall took ALL THE AIR from Naru.

That was why Naru was panting…He needed the air…

But maybe he had too much…

And that was why Naru's…air…pervaded.

_Oh my Kami-sama! Did Naru just fart?_

And I involuntarily covered my nose.

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**A/N: YES, IT IS OFFICIAL; THE AUTHOR (ME) IS INSANE! XD**

**That is, in other words, I don't know what happened to me when I wrote this. I think I am possessed and needed to be exorcised…Anyone up there for the job? ^^**

**Ahh…Anyway, I miss those "It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!" moments…Don't you all miss them too? ^^ *Grins* **_**Magis**_ **in the next, that's all! Hmm…a kyuubi kamikakushi, a shinigami…what do you think is next? ^^ See you next chapter!**

***Shinigami=death god (you know it! *gasps* Ryuk and Rem from Death Note might have passed by that village! O.O)**

**P.S. Hello Kitty onigiri exists! Google it o.O**


	7. Crossover

**A/N: I am very sorry for the rusty and crappy writing. I'll do my best to improve.**

* * *

**Terms beforehand;**

**Otouto=younger brother**

**Haori=an overcoat**

**Hakama=pants**

**Go=a board game popularized in China**

**Dogeza=kneeling and bowing respectfully as though in apology to someone of higher rank or just as a show of high regard to someone. It can also be translated as, "Sorry to bother you."**

* * *

**Review**

The randomness was just SO CRUEL.

And so I simply concluded: the fall took ALL THE AIR from Naru.

That was why Naru was panting…He needed the air…

But maybe he had too much…

And that was why Naru's…air…pervaded.

_Oh my Kami-sama! Did Naru just farted?_

And I involuntarily covered my nose.

**End of Review**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"**A good loud fart is honorable; a medium fart is tolerable; softer windbreaks are terrible; and, the silent ones unbearable."**

**~Chatur's speech (altered by Rancho), from '3 Idiots' movie~**

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDX~nya~**

* * *

**DAY 2; 3:55-4:39 pm**

If farts truly smell like anything but poop, Naru's fart is probably the most aromatic in the world.

I AM NOT JOKING.

Maybe I've really gone crazy, delusional counted. _When you love someone, do you really smell your beloved's fart like it's this therapeutic?_

…

_Kami-sama, I think I'm officially crazy!_

I looked at Naru, uncovering my nose. It was tea. His fart smelled like mint tea…

_Honestly…does such a fart's smell exist?_

I DO NOT WANT TO LAUGH…but…I failed…

But really…this is the first time I've experienced Naru's funny and embarrassing side! Somehow, Naru's farting just made him so...ordinarily human...I mean, sure, you don't hear other people fart everyday (cause they always find a way to hide it) but hearing Naru fart (although, my nose is probably dysfunctional for comparing Naru's fart's smell to mint tea) was a very colorful addition to the world's normalcy. I know I am becoming very ridiculous but it was like my love for him just swelled at that instance. It was like I was getting addicted to Naru's fart's sound and smell that a slip-of-the-unconscious thought occurred to me that I so want to hear and smell it again.

I THINK I'M REALLY CRAZY!

I swear if there's a research about how smitten women fall harder because of hearing and smelling their loved ones' fart, I'll probably top the charts...I mean...who gets so dreamy when they hear and smell someone else's fart? That's like...ONLY ME!

_You are unbelievable, Mai._

I sighed at how crazy in love I have become. _How did I become so irrevocably and revoltingly cheesy like this? How could I even be at the state of near-swooning just after hearing and smelling Naru's fart?_

_How could I have become so irrational?_

I could not help but smile at Naru as I remembered some lines from a movie before…

"_A good loud fart is honorable…"_

I could not stop myself from cracking up!

I giggled. _Which is Naru's fart? Hmm…can I say medium…or loud?_

I giggled again. The thought was just so entertaining!

_If only he's awake…_

I gasped. _Why am I thinking of foolish thoughts right now? Naru's in danger, idiot Mai!_

Instantly alerted and the balloon of 'extreme silliness' pricked and deflated, I shook Naru urgently by the shoulders, trying to wake him up again. "Naru! Naru!"

He still didn't budge. I smacked my forehead, frustrated and panic-stricken. Never in a lifetime did I curse myself because of my idiocy than at that very moment of dreadfully late realization.

_Why am I so stupid? How can I be distracted and make fun of Naru's fart when he seriously fainted? Mai, you idiot!_

"Naru! Naru!" I shook him harder but his unconscious state was so deep, my voice probably could not reach him.

I blanched. _What am I supposed to do? Gene…if only you're here…!_

I bit my lip. _Gene would have known what to do with Naru! But he only comes in my slee__―_

I blinked. _That's right! If I fall asleep and dream of Gene, I could help Naru!_

I inhaled, exhaled, and then forced my eyes shut abruptly, inviting sleep desperately.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

_It's useless!_

I opened my eyes in exasperation.

"I couldn't sleep at all!" I was infinitely frustrated by now.

It was probably because I had slept for so long that it seems like my body is rejecting sleep right then. _And what day and time is it right now? _Chaos slowly crept inside my mind, encompassing it and brewing tension.

_How am I supposed to help Naru now? What can I do to save him?_

Naru's breathing has gone shallower than ever and if it keeps on going like that, he might not breathe anymore.

_The last time he used his power, he landed in E.R.! How can I save him even if I can't bring him to the hospital? I don't know how to get out of this place! How can I…?_

I bit my lip and tried to recall everything I know about PK and its effects. I recalled mine and Gene's conversations. I recalled Gene's revelations...

And then an idea struck me.

It was a rather silly, inexperienced, and disastrous idea.

But, it was an idea, nonetheless.

Even with uncertainty, I was determined to try anything to save Naru. Tears may try to coax my tear ducts to make them fall but I held myself because I need the strength…

To save the person I love the most.

And so, I held Naru's hands with my own and wished for the impossible.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**DAY 2; 12:07-12:27 pm**

Four hours and twenty-six minutes later, Ayako shifted on her seat at the SPR van for the umpteenth time that day.

Her butt IS NUMB. She didn't actually plan to vache the whole ride but she had no choice. Somehow, she's regretting that she's not with the monk right then.

_At least that stupid monk has the delicacy to stop the car for rest and all..._

That's what she's quite certain somehow.

She glared at the Chinese man beside her. It was like the man is meditating that he'd taken the 'absolute silence' path in driving. Ayako huffed, narrowing her eyes at the Chinese man one time before resuming to stare lazily at the scenery outside.

She was almost jumping on her seat when they entered Doushi village. The road towards the village was _**veeeeerrryyyy **_long that she'd thought it was stretching eternally before them. Just when she thought that they're finally halting the almost 3-hours-ride to the village, Lin had driven continuously and only swerved once before going uphill.

And WHAT A ROCKY HILL it was that Ayako endured it by clamping her mouth shut and clinging to her seat as graciously as she could. She was already beyond humiliated in front of the Chinese man because of her hugging childishly to her seat that she determinedly controlled herself from shouting at each butt-splitting hump they passed by.

Frustration, 'absolute silence'-irritation, and hunger devoured Ayako's reason and she finally, after four hours and so of 'joy' riding, asked Lin bluntly, "Where the hell are we going?"

She didn't mean to shout. And when she heard her voice ringing loudly through her ears, she involuntarily blushed as Lin gawked at her expressionlessly. Ayako could not help but gulp and smile, while scratching her head and sweat-dropping.

"Haha, I mean, d-drive on if you must..."

The Chinese man looked back to the road and Ayako was thankful of the distraction (for she was afraid they might bump a tree in the process with how he averted his eyes from the road and gazed creepily and avidly at her).

Defeated and worn, Ayako imitated Lin and stared at the road before her. From afar, Ayako could see a red-walled and -roofed pagoda. Curious, Ayako craned her neck and was amazed to see the three or four-storied pagoda nestled presumably on top of the hill they're embarking.

"What is this place?" She murmured in bewilderment. _Are we simply sightseeing?_

"It's a temple," Lin finally answered one of her thrown questions.

"A temple? What are we―?" Ayako's words trailed off as Lin parked the van on a somewhat flattened driveway on the side of a narrow staircase. Lin hopped off and Ayako followed suit, still perplexed at where she is.

The stair-ed pathway was surrounded by compacted bamboo trees on both sides so that when they walked through it, cool breeze traveled about. It was a refreshing feeling as though drinking some cold beverage in that midsummer afternoon. It was unusual but Ayako's hunger was slowly being quenched as if she just had an appetizer, her stomach welcoming more food soon.

It was a slight curving path and it ended appropriately to Ayako's liking. A bald young man donning a yellow haori, orange kimono and red hakama greeted them at the top of the staircase. The young man bowed and Ayako returned it even though Lin did nothing.

"Xiezhou-sama is waiting inside," the young man informed them and Ayako was left to ponder curiously as the former added, "Please follow me."

_Xiezhou...? _Ayako frowned. Her mind was itching terribly because of her unattended questions. But then, knowing Lin, he somehow wouldn't divulge anything unless Naru permitted him to. Indeed, the loyalty somehow irks her. _To have it work even when he's this far from that narcissist..._

Ayako sighed as she felt so hopelessly clueless of the Chinese man's intentions. So, in order not to think of pressing queries, she observed the temple.

They were led to a pathway between a Zen rock garden. Ayako has only seen one Zen rock garden her whole life and was particularly amazed at the sight before her. The sand, surrounding the rocks, was raked (or sticks were probably used) in a swirling pattern so that it seemed like a pond's ripple when its water is touched.

There were other people with the same ensemble as their guide; some are reading old-looking texts, sweeping the front porch, or playing a board game that's unmistakably the popular Go.

_Is...this some kind of sect...or school?_

The 'uniform' wasn't familiar to Ayako and nor has she heard of any sect of some kind that lodged themselves in a pagoda-on-a-hill. The pagoda, up close, has actually five stories and it looked so royally domineering as Ayako ogled at it.

Their guide led them inside and they entered a dimly lit and long hallway. Golden statues of―as what Ayako can recognize―the twelve animals of the zodiac were very striking against the red background. Ayako felt such a spiritual and other-worldly atmosphere from the figures as though they were observing her; some kind of invisible and taciturn divine guidance emanated from them.

At the end of a hallway was an open door that led to a very spacious room. The room was lit by the ubiquitous sunlight which streamed through the open shoji doors on the far left. Fresh air engulfed the room and another mixture of saliva-inducing food smells breezed through Ayako's nostrils.

A rather short and thin old man, wearing a black haori and kimono in contrast with a white hakama, sat at the center of the empty-of-furniture spacious room and nodded solemnly at their guide before declining his head towards Lin and Ayako. Quietly, he gestured for the two of them to sit beside him and they obliged.

Their guide vanished to a door on the far right and returned with two other young men, each with a tray of food.

"Let's eat lunch first before speaking, Koujo," the old man's hoarse voice cut the silence and he smiled at Lin.

To Ayako's another great bewilderment, Lin smiled sincerely to the old man in return and spoke in his clear voice, "I'm greatly humbled and grateful, Master Xiezhou."

Ayako could not help but gape at Lin as the latter bowed through dogeza. _Who exactly is this old man and why is Lin praising him like a god?_

"All is fair, all is fair," the man called Xiezhou chuckled. "Come now and enjoy the meal along with your companion. It is a serious discussion beyond this."

Lin nodded and glanced at Ayako, who just emulated him as he began to eat after the old man took the first bite.

_Lin has a master? Other than Naru?_

Ayako tried her best not to choke as she open-mouthedly digested the utterly puzzling news.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**NARU DREAMS**

"_Noll…"_

The voice sounded transcendent, a seemingly invitation from out-of-this-world.

"_Noll."_

There was finality in it and Naru felt a part of him being tugged by something.

But he could not see.

There was a sigh. And then…

"Stop being a prick, idiot scientist."

Naru finally opened his eyes and greeted the spiritual plane. To stare in front of him was like glimpsing through a looking glass with a negative-film structure of the castle as a background.

Naru frowned at his twin. "Lady killer."

There was a hearty laugh, a sound that somehow gnawed some indistinguishable part of Naru. "Still sharp as ever, Noll."

"Same to you," Naru narrowed his eyes.

Even in dreams, the twins do not prefer such sloppy reunion. They weren't really emotional boys.

Gene blinked and then smiled. "I don't know why you're here, either. But…it could be Mai's doing, I guess."

Naru fell silent and decided to look around. There was nothing else in sight besides black and visible lines tracing everything in the castle.

Naru glanced back at Gene. "Mai's doing something, then."

"Probably to help you," Gene pointed and Naru pursed his lips. "Your dreams have never collided with my spiritual plane, Noll."

"I know as much," Naru smirked. "Unlike Mai, I don't enjoy dreaming and seeing myself. Nor my look-alike."

Gene smirked too. "_**Look-alike**_, huh? I'm the eldest, remember, _**otouto**_**? **So, in time of birth, it would seem you're my clone instead of the other way around."

Naru glared and Gene just smiled in triumph.

"But Mai's doing her best," Gene grinned. "And I think I should help out too."

Naru raised his eyebrow. "_**Just because**_, huh?"

Gene just continued to smile. "Perhaps, I think."

And Gene placed a hand on Naru's shoulder.

**END OF NARU'S DREAM**

**END OF OMNISCIENT**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 2; 5:01-5:32 pm**

It was useless.

_And I had a feeling it would work too…_

No matter how hard I try to hold Naru's hand, I couldn't get my ki out and transfer it to Naru. I…cannot call my ki just as Naru can.

And I can't help but be frustrated at how futile my efforts are.

_Won't beginner's luck work out for an amateur like me?_

Indeed, unlike Naru, I couldn't summon my power when I've just learned about them. Even now, knowing that I have PK still sounds so ridiculous to me. Just more than a year and a half ago after all, I have not realized I'm a psychic until I worked in SPR.

I bit my lip anxiously, hands clenching the sides of my skirt as tears just escaped from me.

It was useless.

_I was useless._

_How can I not save Naru just like he saved me?_

I've never felt so terrible all my life. Self-loathing pervaded every inch of my heart and mind as I relentlessly, psychologically reproached myself.

_I am really stupid._

_I'm the worst._

Just a while ago, I let myself become distracted with Naru's fart and its smell, totally forgetting that Naru is in grave danger!

I gasped as sobs escaped my awful mouth.

_How could I have been so pathetic?_

_What am I supposed to do right now?_

My whole body shivered and it was only then that I realized I am wet. I even forgot I fell in a pool of water.

_I'm the Greatest Idiot ever_.

I gazed at Naru worriedly and noticed his body quiver slightly. Even Naru is shivering without being wet. I bit my lip and tried to think on what to do despite my mind becoming so cloudy.

_Think Mai…think!_

I looked around the place and noticed 3 wide-enough-to-go-through holes across Naru and I. I couldn't decide where immediately but I stood up, wiped my tears away, and slowly and gently pulled Naru upright—his hands flung over my shoulders and my right hand supporting him by the waist.

_I need to bring him…somewhere…warm…_

I started to walk with Naru along but he gradually slips to the side that I gave up on such a method.

Sighing, and some headache slowly prickling my brain and skull, I gathered Naru upright again. I don't know what came over me but, without hesitation, I pulled Naru's arms over each of my shoulders, bowed down, and bent Naru's knees, gripping his thighs in order to raise him up on my back.

I flushed scarlet but shook my head.

If I wasn't desperate and called by urgency, piggy-back riding Naru might have been the most bold and embarrassing thing I've ever done in my life.

_Really…I've never expected this…_

"You should be the one who's piggy-back riding me, you know…" I muttered desolately. _I wish..._

But honestly, for a growing man (probably)…Naru's unbelievably and incredibly light…

_Does he even eat sufficiently?_

The sun was obviously starting to lower as I noticed orange and slightly pinkish flecks on the sky above. Knowing that I should find a place before darkness enshrouds us in that circular space, I entered the nearest hole to my right. Not looking ahead because of the fear of my eyes playing tricks on me at the heart of darkness beyond, I concentrated on carrying Naru on my back properly. It was a short tunnel, thankfully, and ended appropriately at the part wherein light from the open sky above the column could not stream through. But…

_A dead end…_

I groaned in frustration. _I should have looked ahead…idiot me…tiring myself… _My eyes trailed the barricade, wishing I have the power to destroy it…

And I saw it.

It was good that I cleared my eyes of tears. Because if I didn't, I won't probably notice the brick-pattern-painted door in front of me. If anything, it seemed the most ingenious optical illusion I've ever encountered in real life. If my eyes did not cast upon the barely noticeable half-moon hollow at the side of the discovered door, I would have been out of breath from carrying Naru in another, possibly long, tunnel.

Carefully, I put down Naru on the ground, slipped my fingers in the half-moon hollow, and slid the brick-illusion door aside.

It was dark and weird figures could be seen beyond the sliding door. Halting my easily nervous heart from breaking down, I fumbled in my pockets for my cellphone and, to my utter slow memory, remembered leaving it in my room…

I stared at Naru and blushed at what I thought.

I cleared my throat, still crimson. _T-this isn't sexual harassment…right? This won't be counted, right…? I mean…if I groped somewhere wrong…Wait! It's not like I have that kind of intention!_

I nodded determinedly and cracked my knuckles. _Okay, I can do this…no time to reason out…_

_But…does he have his? B-but with the fall…it could be damaged…_

I shook my head. _Stop thinking deeply, Mai! Naru needs to be warmed up!_

I knelt down to Naru, murmuring, "Sorry for this."

I inspected Naru's pockets, wishing for a phone or even a match or lighter for that matter...

"Ah!" I beamed at Naru's cellphone and checked it for damage.

_It works fine..._

I pressed a key continuously and went inside the room I found, looking for some light switch. There was a fireplace, framed pictures, an s-curve sofa, wooden nesting side tables, piles of chopped wood, easels, paints, brushes, and rolls of canvas. A tiny kitchen could be found on the side and I desperately approached it, searching for a match at the cupboard and pantry. But there was no match to be found; there was only crockery and a drawer full of pencil-length thin glass cylinders, closed at both ends, with rolled papers inside.

I frowned and bit my lip worriedly. _What am I supposed to__―_

I gasped at the glass cylinders.

_These are__―__!_

I grabbed one, trying my best not to break it with my hands, and threw it at the fireplace. There was a spark and, to my relief, the meager pile of molten and musty wood that remained was set ablaze.

I sighed. _Good thing..._

They were rare creations, those phosphorus candles. Obaa-san had shown me one of those cylinders before. A rich shipper gave Obaa-san a lot just the past winter as a gift. Obaa-san actually owns merchant and cruise ships and the mentioned shipper has always been a regular worker in trade and other industries. Obaa-san had demonstrated it to me...how useful those century-old-made candles are.

_Come to think of it, when was this castle exactly built...?_

A nagging headache taunts me again, thankfully without any electric shocks. I held myself firmly and assisted Naru inside immediately―before I'm overcome with fatigue. I lodged him on the sofa and shut the sliding door carefully.

Being the only one awake in a very suspicious and sorrowful-looking room, I was somehow more afraid of losing Naru than seeing more of those moving dolls with hand-held katanas. It wasn't a matter of being scared and fighting fear anymore. It was more on living and enduring.

I grasped Naru's hands with my own again. The headache has come back into full force. Perhaps, it was because I've slept too much that having my body upright dizzies me. Bile was threatening to go out, prickling my throat. But I held on. Naru's hands were still slightly cold but he's sweating again. It doesn't seem like cold sweat as before either.

For the first time, I wasn't afraid to be in an unknown place; I was more afraid to lose Naru so bluntly.

I was more afraid that he'll die because of me.

"Please...wake up," I pleaded solemnly.

Desperately, wishfully, and wholeheartedly, I willed my ki again to transfer to Naru.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**12: 45-12:56 pm**

The food trays were taken and Ayako and Lin sat sullenly as the old man named Xiezhou drank his tea. When the man put down his teacup, he eyed Lin and Ayako avidly.

"Is it alright, Koujo's companion, for me and Koujo to speak in our native tongue?" Xiezhou asked kindly to Ayako, who was astounded to be referred. "I missed speaking it, you see, and there are things better spoken in another language especially when familiar tongues could be swept in the breeze to the eavesdropper."

Ayako nodded absentmindedly, opening and closing her mouth in hesitation before replying, "Y-yes, you may..."

_Wait. Does he mean that I'm an eavesdropper? _Ayako furrowed her brows, slightly infuriated. _How secretive must everyone be? It's not like I'm not involved in whatever they're going to discuss...right?_

Ayako just sighed dejectedly.

"Thank you and I assure you we shall speak briefly," Xiezhou smiled and then, in mere seconds, his face became serious and older as he spoke to Lin in Chinese. "此間人士認為，這是饿鬼 殺死人類。但它不是餓鬼，但事情更糟。你知道什麼是饿鬼 是，你知道，它不殺，但吃那些誰被殺害。 "

Ayako just observed unknowingly as Lin inclined his head in agreement and replied, "是的，它不可能是饿鬼。另一方面，你能猜測是什麼原因導致了這一切，師父？ "

The old man nodded. "我一直在想你的電話自從今天早上。這種情況與娃娃和殺戮似乎平行的東西在我們的民間傳說。 "

"你是什麼意思，大師？ " Lin inquired.

"纸人 , Koujo," Xiezhou said and Lin's eyes glinted, clearly illuminated by what his _**Master**_ told him (of which Ayako just tells herself that she'll understand the expression later). "這是一個遙遠，仍然可能相似之處纸人。這些娃娃，製成的瓷器及其它特殊材料代替紙張，可能是密封的靈魂，並表示願意被當作一個僕人。 "

"這是...你認為這是一個鬼？ "

"這可能是 ," the old man frowned. "但是，一個幽靈，強有力的是聞所未聞的。然而，你不應該集中在一所提供的東西像一個 纸人，你必須集中在一個誰使這些娃娃並為他們提供。 "

An eerie sound reverberated the pagoda and Ayako realized that it's probably a gong hit by a mallet. Lin bowed earnestly to the old man and Ayako imitated him.

"Thank you for the food and discussion, Master," Lin said politely, now in Japanese again.

Ayako stared at them. _That was it?_

"Yes," the old man nodded, standing slowly. "It is time for me to begin the lesson. But..."

Xiezhou gazed at the shoji doors to his right, a faraway look.

Lin followed the old man's gaze and then scrutinized the old man in wonder. "What is it, Master?"

The man looked gravely at Lin and said, "但是，我必須告訴你，目前的居民之一，在該城堡可能殺死了無數人，使死者的靈魂娃娃陷阱沒有他或她自己的意志。要小心。 "

Lin looked serious...and desperate as he nodded, bowed, and said a recognizable (to Ayako) thank you in Chinese at the old man before dashing out of the pagoda in haste.

_What the__―__? _Ayako hastily went out the room too.

Ayako, panting as she followed him as fast as her heels could allow, shouted to him to halt and grabbed his arm to look at him face-to-face. "What did that old man tell you that made you look so troubled?"

Lin looked at her and she was taken aback by the incomprehensibility of his expression. Sighing heavily like Ayako had never seen him do before, Lin spoke in a deadly tone.

"There is a murderer in the castle."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 2; 6:00-6:23 pm**

Naru woke up to find Mai clutching both of his hands as she knelt before him, her eyes closed and her head bowed as though in some silent prayer.

For some reason, Naru felt so energized, for the first time―immediately at the aftermath of his PK usage! His mouth had parted, ready to deliver cunning remarks at Mai but halted when he recognized clear streaks of tears falling ever-so-gently on her paled cheeks.

"Please...wake up, Naru," he heard Mai whisper in fervent prayer.

And it wasn't just 'fervent' because of the passion and intimacy in her voice but also because something shot from her hands to his. It was faint but Naru could feel it. It was warm, less hot than what the Kawabuki girl probably encountered when Mai used her PK during her sleep. He could feel it with maximum clarity: the way it ignites his veins, massages every strained muscle in his body, and detoxifies him.

_So this is PK-LT...Though her ki is the same as mine...it has a different biological effect._

PK-LT has always been a great enigma in Parapsychology. It seemed a ridiculous and almost impossible ability. But it has been known for its effects on plants, animals, and in healing.

_And now its effects on humans, especially a human agent._ Naru recalled Mai's flotation over the stairs yesterday.

A sniffling sound brought his attention back to Mai and he frowned. He'd always known; Mai is always like that. She would do anything for everyone even if it means risking her own life by using her newly discovered dangerous power. He could see it apparently by the evidence of her paling skin, trembling hands, and whimpering voice. She was dreeing determinedly to the point of diminishing return.

_Draining yourself...Idiot._

Naru slowly pulled his hands from Mai's grasp and squeezed her own hands instead. Mai flinched and gaped at him in shock as he just smirked.

"Idiot," Naru couldn't help but let slip a smile in his countenance; a few times, when he's around Mai, his lips just involuntary do that. If it was because of Mai's idiocy or his gratitude (him being openly grateful has, insofar, not happened) or his peculiar amusement at the moment that he is smiling right then, Naru left his mind to ponder later. There could be no scientific explanation about it. But, the reaction has slowly started to become a habit and he himself has become habituated to let it be. Although, such face-to-face smiles were rare; at most times, he usually involuntarily look away before smiling (a sequence he could not understand himself). He just unconsciously hides his smiles that way.

"Na-Naru..." Mai sniffed like a child; Naru's smile was unnoticed by her since he returned to his stoic face so readily. "Thank goodness...!"

She tried to stop more tears from falling as she babbled.

"I-I thought you were going to die!" She cried. "I was th-thinking that it'll all be my fault...You were only saving me from the fall that's why you used your power and―and knowing that you were in danger and dying before me, I-I-I didn't know what to do…!"

She may have realized how futile her efforts were at halting her tears so she just let them flow.

"I thought you were going to die," she whimpered. "I was so afraid...and to think that the last thing I said to you was that you're a jerk!"

She sobbed and Naru was then in a dilemma. Mai was crying again because of him and, for some reason, he felt so helpless.

_Is this some evolutionary and biological tendency when boys see girls cry?_

"Stop crying, Mai," Naru frowned and then, relenting (noticing that he was being harsh to someone who just saved him from death's call), gently assured her while shrugging and looking away. "I'm alright now...Good job."

"B-but―"

"Idiot," he bonked her head lightly and he simpered at her astonished face. Then, regaining his cool composure, he sighed and frowned. "You're a real idiot. Trying to save me and endangering yourself―are you that thick-headed? If I tell you to run away and save yourself, you wouldn't even budge, would you?"

Nevertheless, he couldn't help being harsh to her still. But, she sometimes needed it. Mai was just very kind―so kind that she has become quite vulnerable.

But then, Mai is unpredictable and her emotions could move her from one feeling to another. So, she was fast to recover as usual.

Mai wiped her tears away vehemently and fumed. "Wha―And what about _**YOU**_? Feeling so high and mighty and using your powers like that! You know it's dangerous and yet you―!"

_We're now taking turns at scolding, huh. _Naru just sighed.

He raised his eyebrow when Mai continued to be speechless after halting her supposed angry rant, her expression puzzled.

As if some light went on inside her head, she blinked thoughtfully. Another emotional change. "I...I didn't do anything to save you though...I mean I held your hand and was merely wishing..."

"To give me some of your power?" Naru narrowed his eyes. _She's really resilient._

Mai blushed. "I-I didn't―I thought it wouldn't work―Wait a moment! How did you know?"

Naru shrugged. "Gene told me."

Mai's eyes widened. "Gene did? But he said that my power repels yours...Was I really able to―No, I mean―Was it really possible that I...?"

"Have given me power?" Naru inquired and Mai nodded. "Yes, it is possible. The concrete effect is very evident. If you didn't succeed, I wouldn't be conscious and unscathed like this. Besides, our powers may be incompatible but my body didn't reject your ki just a few moments ago because I wasn't using it."

Mai gaped at him. "I―My power did that? It healed you?"

Naru just inclined his head and Mai sniffled again, another fit of crying threatens her visage. But, Mai looked at him with happiness though. Naru averted his gaze from her face, uneasy from the weeping scrutiny. He just doesn't know what to do in situations like that. If it was somebody else, he would have had ignored and left them. But it was Mai and somehow knowing that he's entirely at fault at making her cry made him more guilty than ever―no matter how much his ego might try to deny it. So, he decided to look away but still listened to her.

"I―I was worried," she wiped her wet-again cheeks. "I-I feel so relieved right now...Y-you were almost not breathing! And to think that you would die on me!"

Naru stared at her. Distracting himself in order not to feel somewhat more biologically awful at seeing Mai's crying face, something grazed within him at the whole sight of Mai sitting before him, water dripping from her body.

It was then that he realized that when the young woman was supposedly saving herself from having a pneumonia, there he was―probably dying―a few minutes ago with Mai's hand grasping his own tightly and Mai attending to him with the expense of her own health.

If Mai didn't use her power, he would have been hurting―his spinal nerves and limbs broken, his body paralyzed, and his consciousness trapped by a coma. Without her, he would have been suffering for using his power twice; although he used an infinitesimal amount the first time that day, he'd unconsciously used a greater amount the second time.

Mai's...love―as there was no other term that encapsulates everything Mai has done for him―was so expansive that he could see no end of it.

_Is love this inexhaustible? _There came one of the greatest philosophical questions. The query was alien to him for he has never pondered about such an abstract concept before.

Naru has always known about Mai's altruism but that instance that had past between them shot up her level of sainthood. Naru couldn't help but think to himself that he was being apathetic and cruel. The girl doesn't deserve the usual cold treatment because of her recklessness. She should be treated in a different manner.

For the girl in front of him, despite their millions of squabbles over inconsequential things, has always been with him no matter what happened.

And Naru realized that he's grown 'wonted' to her presence.

And so, with the small gap with them, he relented and let it be.

Because, just then, he discovered that he likes being with her.

That her presence seeping into his soul is somewhat giving him quite a mysterious comfortableness.

That the Naru who used to categorize people as pumpkins and not pumpkins is now a Naru who added an exception to such categories; he has stored Mai everywhere in his memory, not categorized and marginalized. Indeed, she has invaded his life in its entirety, wholly and deeply.

Won't she later get tired of him and his unresponsiveness and indifference to her feelings and love somebody else?

_Of course, she will. _He answered for himself. She had told him of the possibility.

_**Nothing is permanent because change is constant after all.**_

The world has always been full of contradiction: hot and cold, positive and negative, night and day, light and darkness, life and death, angels and demons etc. Surely, there is an _**end to love **_in accordance to the balancing contradiction.

_**But then, does he really want that to happen? Does he really want Mai to stop loving him? Does he really want to see Mai happy with someone else, her feelings reciprocated by that significant other?**_

_**Last and utmost, will he be alright with seeing Mai looking lovingly at someone else―something he caught her doing many times while staring at him?**_

There came a deafening NO in Naru's mind.

It was to Naru's bewilderment that as he was pondering so brusquely, he was starting to become enraged at the thought of Mai smitten with anyone but him. It was another alien feeling and he somehow cannot rationalize immediately how, if ever he has them, emotions might have probably started to dwell inside of him―filling him something no substantial knowledge has ever brought him to such circumspection and robust body reaction (as he felt the stinging sensation off his nails digging into his palms, his fists he could not remember clenching).

He was supposed to be unresponsive.

He was supposed to be indifferent.

_**But why...does it seem he was forcing himself to become apathetic?**_

He has lived his eighteen years of life like a robot, unaffected and unswayed.

_**But why...is he defensive? Why are his walls of composure trembling and crumbling, making him feel so threatened?**_

The question came again and now, he did not evade answering it.

Naru came into a profound introspection of himself; he found himself looking at himself.

And he uncovered something about himself:

He is afraid to become vulnerable that's why he shields himself.

He is actually worried that Mai would get tired of him and be with someone else. He is actually worried that Mai won't look at him again with the same smile, glare, blushing face, and mesmerized stare.

_**He is actually afraid that Mai would leave him.**_

And, he found himself very disturbed that _**someone is making him vulnerable like that**__**―**_that someone being Mai.

And with that introspection, Naru can now see...He can now conclude...

_**That Mai has now somewhat become an important person to him.**_

And Mai is the first person who made this puzzling huge impact to him.

But what is that perplexing feeling exactly?

_**What is Mai to him exactly?**_

Before Naru could reply to that though, as if on cue, his body reacted and slowly took Mai's hands away from her face.

Mai eyed him, disoriented and sniffing softly. He frowned as he held her hands.

"Don't cry," Naru told her and then added gently and firmly, "Please."

Mai's eyes expanded and she gaped at him. He couldn't blame her then. He'd never said the 'P―' word since God-knows-when.

And he didn't bother to know what her next reaction would be because just when she tried to make out a sound in her state of shock...

**END OF OMNISCIENT**

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_Naru's...kissing me?_

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**"The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn."**

**~David Russell~**

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**A/N: This is the hardest chapter I've ever written as of yet. I tried really hard to be very careful in this chapter especially with Naru's stream of consciousness . I had fun though ^^ Especially when my keyboard is so hard to type into because I had to press really hard on the keys for letters to come out. Whew. Finally got out of it. But of course! THERE'S MORE TO COME! ^^ Brace yourselves because the next chapters will get somewhat darker, more emotional, more intense, and brusque-paced.**

**How was this chapter? You may share your thoughts ^^**

**P.S. The Chinese is just me being...lazy and mysterious *winks* lol**


	8. Lock On: Inception of Chase

**Review**

Before Naru could reply to that though, as if on cue, his body reacted and slowly took Mai's hands away from her face.

Mai eyed him, disoriented and sniffing softly. He frowned as he held her hands.

"Don't cry," Naru told her and then added gently and firmly, "Please."

Mai's eyes expanded and she gaped at him. He couldn't blame her then. He'd never said the 'P―' word since God-knows-when.

And he didn't bother to know what her next reaction would be because just when she tried to make out a sound in her state of shock...

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_Naru's kissing me?_

**End of Review**

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

It was a long kiss.

The feeling of his lips went through my bones and to my soul. I could feel the part of contact searing fervently. The tears that seemed never-ending never escaped from my eyes again.

It was like everything was at a standstill...

_Naru kissed me..._

My heart fluttered and threw out fireworks.

_He kissed me..._

…

…

…

On the forehead.

But, it was a kiss I could never forget.

Because it is the first time that Naru initiated such...intimacy.

He kissed me not because of me tripping over him or the both of us becoming victims of Bou-san and Yasuhara's pranks.

He kissed me by his own unfathomable reason and volition.

And for me, it was the most intimate and the sweetest thing he'd ever done.

_He kissed me...Naru kissed...me..._

My cheeks erupted and probably characterized an erubescent hue.

Happiness encapsulated my soul but then, as instantaneous as a mongoose, something clenched my heart and I caught myself.

_**Because I wasn't supposed to be happy.**_

Because I wasn't supposed to be close to him like this even if I really want to.

_How could I have forgotten...?_

There was a deeper reason why I couldn't speak to Naru after we osculated due to Bou-san and Yasuhara's prank on my birthday. There was a clandestine reason why I act more irate in front of Naru than usual.

I wasn't protecting myself right now.

Although I planned to make Naru smile everyday, I was also trying to distance myself to him as much as possible...

Because I have someone to protect.

Because I don't want to lose someone just as Fumenmoku doesn't want to lose Midoriko and Kou.

_**Because being with Naru is unfair.**_

Because if I get any closer to Naru, I might forget again...And I have forgotten so much these days enough for my mind to send warning signs to my heart.

Naru probably didn't mean harm to the forehead kiss. But, to me, it meant something perilous; it means something that could eat me with guilt.

I felt so revolted at myself.

It wasn't that I'm still afraid to cling to Naru and to selfishly ask him to let me be beside him forever.

It wasn't that I'm tired of trying to make him smile everyday.

...It was just that...I found my happiness...and I don't want to lose it.

I won't stop trying to make Naru happy and eventually smile.

But Naru isn't anymore the sole reason why I'm very happy.

I didn't want to lose Naru too...but...it's not like he'll ever care.

It's not like losing him matters anymore.

It's not like I really have something to lose.

After all, Naru won't lose anything too. There was nothing between us from the start and even now. Compared to other more beautiful and intelligent girls, I am clearly forgettable. He could pass me up as one of those girls who fell in love with him and then went astray.

_Yes, I am __**that**__ forgettable._

And so I abhor myself because _**being**_ _**happy with**_ _**Naru's forehead kiss equals betrayal**_.

My heart is splenetic about the conflict I have brought myself into but I'm still sane enough to recall and reinstall the boundaries in my heart.

Even if I still love Naru, bonds must not be broken.

Even if I love Naru very much, I should get a hold of myself.

Because I cannot forget again...

Because I shouldn't forget again...

_**That I'm seeing someone else.**_

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"**Just be friends.**

**All we gotta do is just be friends.**

**It's time to say goodbye.**

**Just be friends.****" **

**~Just be friends, sung by Luka Megurine~**

"**A radius of 85 cm is the distance these hands can reach. **** From now on, I'll spin around. **** So please, stay away from me. **** "**

**~Double Lariat, sung by Luka Megurine~**

"**Being happy, having fun.**

**We went on many adventures too**

**in our secret base. ****"**

**~Secret Base, sung by Scandal~**

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**DAY 2; 6:35 pm**

Just as the fire continues to ignite and swallow the woodpile, my mind has devoured my heart.

I have always been reckless, very open and vulnerable. But a life of susceptibility doesn't really bother me. I just think that living a very cautious life isn't living life at all; risks, for me, are essential to make life meaningful.

But...

There is a time for caution and there isn't.

The zeitgeist right now, though, sends a message to my mind and told me that this time is a moment for caution.

And so when Naru parted his lips, after pulling apart from me, I was ready...

I was ready to be apathetic, cold, distant, and...unmoved.

I was ready to be the Mai-no-one-has-ever-known.

However, it seems like my body has a mind of its own―a mind not from the rational depths (if there is) of myself but from the gallows of my heart. My life was not entirely ruled by my brain; it was usually ruled by my heart. And so, I couldn't blame myself for being continuously mesmerized at Naru even if my brain instructed every brain cell of mine to do the opposite. I could tell that I was absolutely blushing from head to toe just by how Naru's eyes gleamed with amusement at my probably bewildered and enthralled expression.

I opened and closed my mouth yet nothing came out.

I was touched. Very touched that Naru's comforting me. That his way of telling me that it wasn't my fault is through reaching out like I'd never seen him do before.

But it felt _**so epically wrong**_.

If I wasn't committed, it would have been alright. But _**I am**_ and it was all the more unnerving.

The red string that connected Naru and I in my school's cultural festival's event last May was merely an illusion. Our hearts could never be connected even if Naru could tie back the broken parts of the red string of fate.

Always full of self-contradiction, I loathe myself for betraying people I love this way...

"It takes a kiss to calm you down, Mai," Naru observed and finally halted the supernova of thoughts inside of me.

I felt as if my heart has been struck three times in a row and now it's knocked out.

_**Kami-sama, I swear, this man will probably be the death of me...**_

I was blank. Thunderstruck. Dumbfounded. Speechless. Whatchamacallit...

And then it was like all the blood that went to my face came back to where it belongs and I just...felt defensive at the truth he just cockily pointed out. "Y-you jerk―!"

"That was a very late reaction than usual, Mai," Naru fleered.

"Wha―!"

I spluttered and halted as I saw him unbutton his shirt. I widened my eyes and I can't get any redder than at that instance, my supposedly defensive and angry denial poofing entirely from my mind.

"W-what are you doing?" I exclaimed, horrified.

My shocked face and o-shaped mouth were probably very entertaining that he simpered and said smartly, "I'm doffing my shirt, isn't that obvious, Mai?"

I turned deep crimson. "I-I could see that, y-you perverted narcissist! Why are you―?"

And I was distracted when I saw that he has another black buttoned shirt underneath.

He looked at me arrogantly, evidently noticing where I'd been staring and clearly telling me wordlessly with his eyes, _"Disappointed that I'm not bare underneath after all?"_

It was as though the unspoken question resonated in my mind and my face was probably as flaming red as those electric stove coils in high heat.

And never in a million years am I going to admit that I was _**totally excited **_yet embarrassed (but _**I really, annoyingly, and perversely wanted**_) _**to see him shirtless**_.

This man is killing me!

I blushed furiously and shouted at the top of my lungs, "S-stop being conceited!"

I hate myself for being transparent to Naru's cerulean-like eyes. I hate myself for betraying my boyfriend whom Naru has not yet seen, heard, or known. But most of all, I hate my stubborn heart for not falling in love with someone who truly loves me.

_Why must love be difficult? Why can't it just end as naturally as it started?_

But then, I knew. The reason why my love for Naru won't just fade away was because an enormous part of my heart doesn't want to.

Even if I have started to like someone else and date that person...

My heart is as stubborn as a rock.

My love for Naru has become as deep as an ocean...No matter how I try to put more depth in my relationship with my boyfriend, my feelings can't just be more profound.

I tried to look away from Naru. His eyes continuously glinted in amusement as he shoved his doffed shirt to my hand.

"W-what?" I gritted my teeth, annoyed that he could make me boil up with his sly words and actions yet still unable to truly hate him for teasing me so relentlessly.

_And oh my Kami-sama, why does he emanate too much pheromones right now?_

"Wear this," he said simply and I glared at him.

"Why should I?" Even if I would want to be immersed in his scent, it was a potential danger zone...

He averted his eyes. "You're very wet."

I blinked as I noticed him blanching before I scrutinized myself and became cognizant of how utterly transparent my yellow tank top has become.

I cursed myself silently.

_Oh my Kami-sama! Why must this happen to me when I'm with him? What have I done to have attained this...retribution? Dang it!_

Naru placed a hand over his mouth, his shoulders flinching and it was then that I remembered what Gene told me.

_"When Noll sees girls wearing almost nothing, he hiccups very badly,"__ Gene had whispered to me._

_Oh my Kami-sama, the prominence of my undergarment is counted as__―__! Oh my Kami-sama, Naru's trying to conceal his hiccups!_

I felt as if all the blood went to my face again. My heart throbbed and I could not seem to contain it anymore. I felt as if I'm going to implode!

"Hurry up and wear this, idiot," Naru shoved his shirt on my hand brusquely, momentarily covering his mouth again (evidently hiding a hiccup because his shoulders winced), and then fleered at me intelligently. "However, it is your freedom of expression at work if you want to put a show for me. I wouldn't persist if you reject my offer."

_Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-you__―__! Grr!_

I glowered at him and took his shirt hastily from his outstretched hand, peeved yet very embarrassed. "S-shut up!"

I stood up swiftly and he raised an eyebrow at me. I reddened.

"T-turn around so I can change, perverse idiot scientist!" I blurted, miffed.

To my astonishment, he merely nodded and turned around. Somehow...despite his irritating tongue, his gentlemanliness has not diminished.

As the fire crackled, I felt so self-conscious. Despite my soaked undergarments, I didn't dare doff them. It would be too bold and, more so, embarrassing. I can't just...give Naru such luxury of another series of hiccups or something.

_And I am never one who shows off shamelessly or anything..._

My cheeks flushed continuously as I slipped Naru's shirt over me and buttoned it downwards. The garment fit me like a tunic. It was warm and comfortable, I noticed. And indeed, I only realized the numbness and coldness of my body when I took off my clothes.

I hugged myself, feeling Naru's residual warmth pervading my body.

"I-I'm done," I said softly. "T-thank you...for your shirt..."

Somehow, I can't help but forgive him when he's become this thoughtful.

He nodded and I sat beside him, in front of the fireplace. I could not look at him so I stared at the fire. So many things happened that I'm utterly confused.

_Why did Naru kiss me on the forehead? Was it simply just to calm me down?_

But then, he's already implied it. My foolish heart just want to think it otherwise.

Ever since I've come to terms with my overflowing feelings, I have decided not to hope for any response from Naru―not even a kiss or a hug. All I decided I could wish for was to stay beside him and make him smile everyday. That's all I wanted to happen.

But that changed...when I met my boyfriend. I still try to make Naru smile everyday but...staying by his side is not anymore a counted promise to my heart.

But it's also hard to keep thinking like that. Because...we've _**already kissed accidentally twice**_, a part of me could not stop wishing to experience it again _**intentionally, wholeheartedly, and mutually **_with him someday. And I've kept struggling with that thought as I resolved not to speak to him too cordially after what happened in my birthday.

_**Because I really, really like my boyfriend.**_

My heart is in such a fiasco now.

_Why did you kiss me as if...as if you feel something for me?_

_Why did you suddenly...make my hopes elevate? I don't want to make any snap judgments so..._

_Why did you do it?_

I could not bear it anymore. My curiosity has deepened with the firing questions in my mind.

"Naru―"

"Mai," he called and we stared, sideways, at each other.

I blushed, forgetting what I was about to inquire. "W-what?"

"Are you alright?" He asked and I nictitated.

"Y-yeah," I answered, taken aback. "W-why?"

"By the looks of it, you carried me to this place," he frowned. "I must ask, of course."

I nodded shyly and then, thinking of something mischievous, smirked while nodding. "Indeed, you must ask. You were quite heavy too."

I put a hand on my right shoulder and rotated my right arm in emphasis.

"I see," he said calmly and stared again at the fire.

I sighed. _What am I doing?_

I noticed Naru frowning again and I saw his eyes look...somehow guilty. I...don't want him to look guilty...or pity me for my one-sided love. So, I decided to disrupt the queasy topic and came up with a random diversion.

"What detergent do you use?" I asked, curious, as I smelt his shirt. It was aromatic, soothing, and...honestly addictive (just like his fart, which I can't help but point as a reference―sorry Kami-sama!) that I cannot help but inhale whatever it is that lingered and was used on his shirt. The nagging headache seemed to have mellowed down too.

And I'm not even embarrassed about it―which is a good thing since it's merely a curiosity I could not relinquish.

"Why?" He raised his eyebrow but his eyes were glinting with amusement again at my nonstop sniffing of his shirt sleeves.

I blushed. "W-well, your shirt smells like mint..."

"..."

"W-what?" I demanded.

"To compare my scent with an herb," Naru bared his insolent smile. "Am I that intoxicating, Mai?"

_There his arrogance goes again!_

So, I bonked his head.

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**6:55 pm**

"You are quite the sadist, Mai," Naru commented knavishly and I blushed.

"I am not!" I defended. "And I was sorry, alright?"

Naru sighed and just massaged his head smugly. I bit my lip. I didn't intend to bonk him so hard on the head. I sighed. _That's like two strikes to his head already...with the door before and all..._

"I'm really sorry," I said genuinely and he just nodded.

We eyed the fireplace again. I could hear raindrops mercilessly falling on the pool and the floor outside the tunnel. It felt so bleak.

"Do you think Lin-san would have known by now?" I queried solemnly.

Naru shrugged. "Perhaps."

GRRRRR

Naru looked at me with fascinated eyes. I flushed scarlet.

"W-what? I can't help it! I haven't eaten ever since," I pouted. "It's―"

An air whizzed past my left ear and I shivered. Eyes widening, I looked at Naru who was currently examining the ceiling as though his eyes were trying to follow something.

"D-did you feel it too?" I gulped and Naru nodded.

"It's probably Lin's shikis," Naru said. "The presence is too familiar."

"Lin-san's...?" My eyes brightened. "We can go out now!"

"We still can't," Naru narrowed his eyes. He took out his phone which I returned when he was still asleep.

"Ehhh, why?" I was becoming desperate to separate from him.

"I ordered the others to go to surrounding villages to investigate. With this heavy and hard rain, they must have been unable to come back. If they had, Lin would have found us by now. There's no signal here too."

I gaped at him. "S-so we're stuck here?"

"I guess," Naru replied and I sulked.

"This is quite the worst case scenario..." I muttered and then reddened.

Naru was just silent.

I felt my stomach grumble again and I looked helplessly at the ceiling.

"Hey, Naru," I tugged on Naru's shirt and leaned cautiously. "Is it possible to request to Lin-san's shikis to bring us food?"

Naru was very fascinated by my question again. "They're not maidservants, Mai."

"But," I pouted. "I'm really hungry that I feel as if I could eat one cow."

Naru smirked. "You are becoming ridiculous."

I pouted again. "Try not eating for one day and I'll tell you how ridiculous it is."

"I already did," Naru said and I gaped at him. "When I was a child."

I gawked at him. _What...kind of childhood did he have?_

Naru lifted a corner of his mouth. "It's not what you think. I was doing one of my experiments that involved fasting."

I ogled at him continuously. _Experiments? As a child...wahhh this guy's been an idiot scientist since then!_

"Mai," Naru called me and I hmmm-ed questioningly. "I could see the faucet of the small kitchen. It's not rusty so the water will be fine. You should drink from it. This place must have been vacated for a long time; the glasses that might be in the cupboards must have been thick with dust. We can survive with continuous hydration for now."

"Yeah," I agreed, straightening up. It was better to do something than remain in an awkward silence or conversation. Or be lost in restless thoughts...

"This place," Naru scrutinized the surrounding as he stood up too. "Is probably one of the towers. But it isn't included in the blueprints."

Haven't been looking around very well when I lit the fireplace, I just recently noticed a wheeled multi-platform ladder (reaching the ceiling) on the side. It was probably used for the previous inhabitant to hang the countless paintings (which I thought were framed pictures) on every space of the walls, which was a pale yellow with paint smudges on visible corners. The ceiling was so high and spacious, a painting of the night sky and some falling comets on it.

I noted the biggest painting which is on the wall above the fireplace. If one probably looks at it from afar, it might appear like a pixelated blur (like a censored gory picture). A gold plate at the bottom center of the painting's frame read: Tofuzaga.

I titled my head. _Is that a name?_

For sure, the unmistakable painting, when you come so near, has eyes and finger parts...Slightly crept out by the cut parts, I gawked at the painting's signature and gasped as I saw the scribbled name, 'Kou M.'

_Kou Mochiyuma!_

Naru's attention also went to the painting. He was checking where a door beside the kitchen leads to.

"Puzzled Cubism, huh," Naru glanced at the painting.

"Puzzled Cubism?"

Naru nodded. "It's a type of movement in art spearheaded by Kou Mochiyuma. It's a style of painting wherein he abstracts random places of his supposed subject in his mind and scramble those 'cubed' pieces to make a puzzle-like painting directly."

I gaped in amazement. "You mean, this is simply hand-painted? Not just cut-outs of the finished painting that are scrambled and made into an indistinguishable collage? He's not just a great architect?"

Naru did not nod but just pierced me with his intense gaze. I blushed, looking away, somehow self-conscious yet again.

"W-what?"

"By the looks of it, you had another dream," he quipped.

"Oh," I smiled. "yeah. I had a lot actually and Ge―"

I looked at Naru nervously and he sighed.

"What did my lady killer of a brother tell you?"

"Lady killer?" I blinked at him.

"What did Gene tell you?" He rephrased.

"Oh, he said...my power repels yours...my PK..."

"You already told me that."

"Oh, yeah."

"What else did he tell you?"

"He said...I have a psychical imbalance...that's why I was asleep a long time. By the way, what day is it?"

"It's Tuesday," Naru informed and frowned. "I see now. What about the case?"

I tried to recall, wrinkling my nose and scrunching my face. "There were...two sisters."

"Two sisters?"

"Yeah," I said. "Fumenmoku and Midoriko."

Naru raised his eyebrow, piqued. "Midoriko?"

I nodded. "And Kou is Fumenmoku's fiance."

"I see." Naru was silent, pensive.

"There's a conflict between sisters because they both love Kou and so...Midoriko challenged Fumenmoku...as dollmakers."

"A sibling rivalry," Naru frowned. "It would be very simplistic if that is the root cause of all murders and disappearances."

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"There were no accountable mentions of a 'Midoriko Wakkako.' But, Fumenmoku Wakkako is known. She died in Germany."

I ogled at him. "D-did she marry?"

"Kou Mochiyuma," Naru confirmed my thoughts.

_So...does this mean...that it's Midoriko who's behind all of this? Some kind of grudge? But, wait! Males were killed too...could it be...she'd come to hate Kou too?_

It all makes sense.

_Yet...Midoriko is a straightforward person in my dreams...Why would she kill other people? Is it like Hoshimasa-sensei in our previous case? But...she was not punished by her father and nor did she become the target of harsh expectations and training._

_Yes, she has a hot-headed personality but...what good will it bring her if she kills people? When...Fumenmoku died in Germany already...shouldn't she be satisfied or something?_

_What else makes her satisfied of killing people? She's...not an antisocial...no matter how angry she seemed at Fumenmoku..._

It was as if I knew Fumenmoku and Midoriko very well through my dreams. It was as if I'm analyzing characters from a movie.

_But...how are we going to stop all of these murders? Why...is Midoriko not mentioned? Is...she...stripped off the family name? But...she must have died here... _

"However, the past might not be connected to the present case," Naru said skeptically. "Unless proven."

"You mean...the murderer could be a real human after all?"

Naru nodded.

"Yeah...you're right." I thought hard. Although my dreams are always connected with our cases, it's not like the possibility of it being useless is gone too―even if it's very small.

"Knowing about an unmentioned previous inhabitant, though, could be one of the leads for this case," Naru pointed out and said evenly, "Another good job, Mai."

My cheeks flamed, quite joyful. "Y-yeah."

Naru glanced and frowned at his wristwatch which, I noticed, has a broken glass surface. "We could roam outside tomorrow morning. For now, we should rest. Drink some water, Mai; you'll need it. I already checked the faucet and it works well. As well as the bathroom."

"Bathroom?"

"Beside the kitchen," Naru elucidated. "Equipped with a garderobe, bathtub and sink. Mochiyuma-san must have stayed here for a long time."

"What's a garderobe?" I tilted my head.

"A Western medieval privy."

"Oh," I blushed coquelicot.

Naru narrowed his eyes and I wondered what he's thinking again.

"Is something wrong, Naru?"

"There are no pillows or blankets," Naru said and I blinked at him.

Indeed, the bare hard stone floor is cold to sleep on. But...

_He's worried about that?_

"We'd have to use those rolls of canvas instead, Mai."

"O-okay..." Then I turned sinopia.

_Sleeping beside someone you love...sounds wonderful yet scary..._

But for my case: _**very disgraceful.**_

_I'm sorry, Kami-sama, for my contradictory and opposing heart._

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDX~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

"You're here," I told her.

She turned to me, determined yet curious of my reason for calling her.

I smirked. _You were always with Kou and I was always left behind._

_How can I stand a chance?_

_Kou loves me...?_

_That's impossible. You've always known that._

_And now that you've won, how can you still say that you're my shadow?_

"Brace yourself," I suggested. Everything that bottled up was awaiting release.

"What are you―?" She wrinkled the middle of her eyebrows, nonplussed.

Without fail, I pushed her to the ravine below.

Her ear-splitting scream was a great symphony as I dropped pulchritudinous spider lilies on her wake.

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**10:07 pm**

I woke up with a sharp intake of breath.

I heard Naru sigh near me, holding my arm as I sat up. "You're finally awake."

I gulped. I dozed off without my knowledge. It seemed so real: a short yet haunting dream. It was as if I was the one who fell and not the one who pushed the person in my dream! The horrified scream...the chill and adrenaline rush that crept to my spine...It felt so real.

"I can't believe it," I murmured. "I can't believe it..."

"What is it, Mai?" Naru stared at me with a serious countenance.

"I can't believe it, Naru!" I pulled my arm from his grasp and ran my hands through my hair in disbelief. The great bewilderment and anguish filling me up entirely. The...wickedness and cruelty was too much.

Naru gripped my hands gently away from my hair, squeezed them together―a soothing gesture―and led me to look at him quizzically.

"Tell me, Mai."

"Naru..." I started and gulped. "Fumenmoku killed Midoriko!"

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

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**A/N: o.O Seems like Fumenmoku isn't as good as she seems! Who do you think is the real dollmaker behind those life-size dolls? XD **

**Annnnnddddd, seems like Naru's chase has an obstacle *****winks and cackles* Yes, I am unforgiving to the characters as usual heehee *grins mischievously***

**On the other hand, I have a lot of quotes up there, all came from Japanese songs. If you want to listen to them (and they're all very catchy in meaning and tune), the links are in my profile. I especially like the video of Luka's Just be Friends; the metaphor in it just collided with what happened in Reminscence and what's happening now in Dollmaker about Mai and Naru's relationship. And the white dress! *dazed* I can't help but imagine Mai in that white dress and Naru in that white tux! *fangirl screams* (I don't usually scream in such a way, but there are times when I can't just resist too!) Just perfect for what I have in store for the two in my fourth story of GH! (This is the second story of a quartet btw *winks*)**

**PS: Puzzled Cubism doesn't really exist (so far, I don't think there's an artist who thought of painting like that except in this fanfic of mine lol). It's merely my own twist of Cubism to a greatest extent. It's an idea I would like to try in real life though, with great accuracy if possible. *winks***


	9. Supercell Mayhem

**A/N: Do I still have readers? Haha maybe not, I guess. ^^ ****After this chapter will be a 3-part Author's Note (consisting of explanation of terms, review replies, and author's rants). ****If I have any grammatical errors, I'm sorry. English is my second language. However, I'm editing and proofreading the chapters as much as I can (I'm going through chapter 4 as you're all reading this). ^^ ****And, I don't profit from this story****. :D ****Those with asterisks (*) are scientific terms which may be ignored so you can read the chapter without a bother. However, they will be explained in the first part of the long Author's Note. ^^**

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

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**Review**

"I can't believe it, Naru!" I pulled my arm from his grasp and ran my hands through my hair in disbelief. The great bewilderment and anguish were filling me up entirely. The...wickedness and cruelty were too much.

Naru gripped my hands gently away from my hair, squeezed them together―a soothing gesture―and led me to look at him quizzically.

"Tell me, Mai."

"Naru..." I started and gulped. "Fumenmoku killed Midoriko!"

**End of Review**

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya**

**DAY 2; 10:10 pm**

"Fumenmoku killed Midoriko..." I repeated softly. "Midoriko was killed because she won in their contest..."

Naru let go of my hands carefully―as though it was going to break if abruptly released.

The spread rolls of dusty canvas (used as duvets) lay on the floor, as well as other rolls of canvas left un-rolled to become pillows and two more sprawled as sleeping mats. My sooty duvet had slipped off and clung to my feet right then. Whilst, my body seemed to have rolled off from my sleeping mat―during sleep―to the cold and hard stone floor. On the other hand, Naru's duvet was folded beside his sleeping mat on the floor near the fireplace; it looked like he didn't go to sleep yet with how un-lain his sleeping space was.

A sweet smell pervaded the tower, but I didn't delve on what it was. Naru must have been doing something before I woke up, but...I was so preoccupied with my haunting dream at the moment to even be curious about it.

I could see the firelight shine upon the glass surface of a lantern that's on top of the highest lacquered wooden nesting table; its flickering light reflected the coagulated particles upon the lantern's surface and illuminated a spider's web and the soot collected with time.

The artistry of the tower Naru and I resided and the castle in general mirrored the traits of the people who had lived in it. It exuded creativity, elegance, and (in Fumenmoku's surprising act of murder) cunningness. I was utterly deceived, and likewise, other people might have been too. The whiteness of the marble that the castle's mostly made up of concealed the darkness from the hearts of those who previously inhabited it.

_Who...would have thought that...the dark side of a person will appear...prominent in someone who's been meekly loving and...forgiving...?_

I shuddered. How people readily changed their personality from one to another..._Or has Fumenmoku always been like that? Has she...just kept it all inside...? Her anger? Her jealousy for Midoriko for being able to have the freedom she really wants? __And when...Midoriko won as a dollmaker...she felt slighted...She, Fumenmoku, who has been working so hard to become a dollmaker...was just beaten in a supposedly petty match...__To have everything taken...her dignity, pride, and love...Midoriko felt like that too before she won but... Fumenmoku was different. All the pressure was on her...And just when she was about to break free..._

_She lost...and then __**she snapped**__._

I realized then...that the world wasn't cruel because it was made cruel. It's we, humans, who made it cruel. We were the ones who became cruel to others and sometimes to ourselves. What happened to Midoriko and Fumenmoku...was all due to the cruelty instigated around and between them.

"It's so sad..." I muttered desolately.

Silent and contemplative as ever, Naru sat beside me. Despite my astonishment at the new dream, I could not help but be transfixed by him; his thoughtful look had that effect on me all the time. Then, I snapped to reality and recalled what I had forgotten hours ago. I knew it's far-fetched from my recent dream and the case, but I couldn't help thinking...

_It's...hard to be with Naru nowadays._

Somehow, I didn't know what to do anymore. Just as Fumenmoku's feelings were complicated, my feelings for Naru were the same. _I love Naru but I'm going out with someone else. Others can say that I am cheating my heart...again. _But, that was only half-true. Or rather, partly true. _Because I do like the person I'm going out with, and it's a mutual feeling._

No, not like. _Not just like, actually. __I have fallen...for someone else besides Naru._

That's why...it couldn't be called cheating at all. _**I'm...simply moving forward...with somebody else.**_

_Yes, that's right. _I assured myself. _And that person makes me happy. __And that person says I make him happy too. __What pains me when I'm with Naru is that there is the continuous expectation of reciprocation. That there is still an inkling of hope and attachment to him. __But I'm slowly breaking free from that. Gradually, I am loving my boyfriend more and more. __And I don't want to lose him because he's become precious to me. __And since he's not here with me, I'm probably just transferring my longing for him to Naru (especially with the narcissist's current proximity). __I'm misplacing my feelings for my boyfriend to Naru..._

_I'm such a terrible girlfriend._

I sighed and averted my eyes from Naru's form.

_My boyfriend, he...makes me feel such happiness I'd never felt when I'd fallen for Naru. __Being with Naru is...painful. __But being with my boyfriend...I don't feel any pain, just happiness. __Knowing such, I couldn't help but wonder; **what if my love for Naru was an illusion after all? **_**_Must love be hurtful in order to be deemed true? _****_If a love isn't hurtful, it's fake? _**_There shouldn't be such standards to love, right?_

I reminisced the memories I had with my boyfriend for almost two months now. _I miss him...__He's probably worried that I didn't call him for two days now too..._

I shook my head and thought about Fumenmoku again. I needed to focus on the job for now. Honestly, how my mind would shift...I sighed.

_If I can shift my thoughts, how about the attitude? __Everything changes, right?_

I wished Fumenmoku was able to move on too, though. That she...did not let her hidden dark feelings consume her. Envy. Betrayal. Annihilation...The process of becoming evil could be a very easy feat for anyone deeply-seated with animosity all their life.

_How...Fumenmoku could suddenly shift into someone...is beyond me just as how I can't be as cold and cruel...__I'm...not so fearful as she can...__I thought she's fair and just...That she'll sacrifice her happiness for her sister's...Or if not...she would have a rematch and improve her skills instead of doing something underhanded...That's just―_

I halted my thoughts and rewinded. _If I were in her shoes...will I even be able to double take like this? Will I still be able to give time for thinking rather than doing? Will I not also be immersed in my emotions as I have always been?_

I bit my lip. I was not different from Fumenmoku at all. Given the situation, I might become just as ruthless as she was.

I gazed back to Naru and saw him doing the same. Our eyes met, and I held the contact taciturnly for a while. It seemed like he had worked up the gears of his mind and made a conclusion or speculation in silence. Just when Naru's lips were forming a sound, though, I felt it: an electric shock originating from my brain and branching out to every inch of my body. I doubled over with a loud gasp; my hands went to my head as though I just collided a wall with it.

And then nothing. Like sparks igniting and suddenly fizzing out before evanescing. Extinguished.

I could not feel Naru's hand on my arm. Nor did I even notice him holding it in the first place.

I could not feel the supposedly cold hard floor.

_**I could feel nothing at all.**_

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"_**Being with you and not being with you is the only way I have to measure time."**_

_**~Jorge Luis Borges~**_

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

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**DAY 2; 10:21-11:29 pm**

"Naru, I can't feel anything!" I exclaimed, anxious and shocked.

"Mai, look at me," Naru advised calmly but I couldn't comply.

Panic swallowed every nook and cranny of my mind. I assayed to feel Naru's hand which previously held my arm.

And yet, still nothing.

"Naru, I can't feel your hand," I hollered in horror. "I can't feel anything!"

Everything else was thrown into oblivion except the fear that crawled to my veins and bones.

Naru, astonishingly, cupped my cheeks with his hands and swiveled my face to look at him vis-a-vis.

I blushed at his proximity. He cupped my cheeks in a way that made my mouth pucker up like fish―a very embarrassing sight.

If it was another situation, Naru would have smirked at the silly face he'd created through squinching my cheeks. But, the situation was dire and not humorous. So thankfully, while penetrating me with his sky-like eyes, he uttered, "Calm down, Mai. It'll be alright."

He looked tired and uncertain and..._afraid?_

And when Naru's afraid, let's just say I wouldn't be any less.

It wasn't alright at all. My brain nagged me with skepticism.

"Hwaw?" I asked nervously. I meant 'How?' but my then fish-like mouth couldn't say the word properly.

Becoming cognizant, Naru released my cheeks gently and sighed. "This is the first time you've used your PK-LT, and insofar, you've been utilizing it consecutively. If coherent to the facts, the side effect for its usage―your loss of sense of touch―will be temporary for now."

"PK-LT? And w-what do you mean '_**for now**_'?"

"Psychokinesis on Living Targets," he elaborated.

I gaped at him. "That's what I have...?"

He nodded.

I nictitated; his words were spinning in my head before being absorbed.

"So...I'll...be alright later?"

Naru inclined his head, and I soughed in half-relief.

However, Naru frowned and glared at me. "But only for now, Mai. Hence, you _**cannot**_, _**should not**_, and _**must not use your power**_ from this moment on. PK-LT is a rare kind and the most dangerous of all. Frequent use of it has been recorded to result in total senselessness―permanent loss of the five senses―and the inability to breathe."

Panic settled again.

"N-Naru, what if I won't get it back? What if―what if my sense of touch will never―?" I stammered, unnerved by the reality.

"It'll be alright," he assured. "Those who lost their senses permanently were the ones who've been using it for many years. Still, it doesn't mean you can use it nonchalantly, Mai. So, do not be reckless, and keep it in mind."

I jounced my head earnestly and suspired. _What in the world have I done? To have a power...yet unable to help Naru...how can circumstances be this cruel?_

I bit my lip.

_Is it really hopeless?_

_Will I really recover my sense of touch if I don't use my power anymore?_

Although, it's not like I could control my power right then. _It's...still unstable..._

Naru straightened up, and I gazed up to him in wonder. He maintained his calm, and I wished I could be infected with his tranquility.

"W-where are you going?" I queried.

I...somehow needed him beside me. I needed his assurance. I...wanted so much to depend on him at the moment of my vulnerability.

_I know I'm becoming a more terrible girlfriend for being like this...But..._

_Is it wrong to gain comfort from someone else besides my boyfriend?_

He lifted a corner of his mouth after checking his wristwatch, and I couldn't stop flushing scarlet.

I forgot my supposedly recent predicament almost instantly.

Naru could be irresistibly cute without him knowing.

And...he's the _**greatest distraction and diversion**_ I'd ever had.

Honestly.

_Dang._

"Now that you're awake, you can eat a cow," he smirked.

I blinked at him absentmindedly. "What?"

His eyes darted to the fireplace, and my orbs followed suit. Hanging by the fireplace crane was a pitch-black Dutch oven.

And I finally realized what the sweet smell was.

Eyes widening, I spluttered sheepishly, "You killed a _**cow**_?"

Naru eyed me with great fascination. "It's swan potato soup, Mai."

I gaped at him. _Wha━_―_!_

"Swan what?" I stared at him; my jaw slacked.

"Potatoes, Mai," he neared the fireplace and pivoted the crane away from the fire. With some folded canvas, he took the Dutch oven by its handle from where it perched on the fireplace crane. Holding the probably hot pot carefully, Naru came nigh the wooden nesting tables, and I noticed fruits on it.

"Naru, how did you―where did you―?" I stammered, flummoxed.

"While you were asleep, fireflies led me to a forsaken-looking greenhouse," he shrugged as he sat across me after lodging the pot between us on the floor.

_A greenhouse? Fireflies led━―?_

"How can there be a greenhouse underground...? And for plants to survive...?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "And you're joking about the fireflies, right?"

He smiled slyly. "I'm not."

I pouted but didn't retort. Indeed, he looked like he's telling the truth.

_Or else, where did he get the food, right? It couldn't have come out of nowhere!_

He took the lid of the pot, and my stomach confirmed its health by grumbling. The smell was so...mouth-watering. But, I couldn't feel the hotness of the soup emanating from the pot.

Naru gave me a spoon, and he scooped the soup with a silver ladle to comely ceramic bowls he found God-knows-where.

Now, my thoughts were readily diverted. It was probably Naru's plan too because...I had to admit that he knew me so well enough to know that if he wouldn't distract me, I'd be incessantly obsessed with my current loss of touch.

_How can he be so nice? How can he...make me...just so sad and happy?_

"I never thought you can cook," I quipped, amazed. "I guess it's a lucky thing."

_Food is a really great diversion at this moment..._

"I do it if necessary," he replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

"When you're blackmailed?" I teased.

He fleered. "When I'm paid."

I jaw-dropped. "That's sly and stingy!"

He quirked his eyebrow as he held my supposed share of soup in midair, half-way towards me.

I turned strawberry-ish, sighed, and pouted. "Alright, alright. I'll pay you when we get out of here."

He lifted a corner of his mouth, and I underwent heart failure again.

"No need," he leered as he handed the soup-filled bowl to me. "Treat this as _**extra service**_."

I became as red as the sliced onions in my soup. Averting my eyes, I slurred, "Jerrrrkk."

His talent of throwing back my own words didn't fade away.

I blew on the soup even if I could not feel its heat and took a careful sip. A mixture of sweet, salty, spicy, and peppery taste bombarded me. Potatoes, carrots, and onions were softened satisfactorily so that their natural flavors harmonized.

_Thank Kami that I didn't lose my sense of taste too..._

"This is delicious," I gushed. "Where did you get salt and pepper for this? Did you get the carrots and onions from the greenhouse too?"

Naru just inclined his head. "I found some salt in the cupboard and picked peppercorns and the rest in the greenhouse."

I stared at Naru's hands. He noticeably washed them but they were still slightly soiled. For the pepper to look so fine in the soup...he must have ground them very hard...He peeled and sliced the vegetables very well too...

_He...handpicked the vegetables, fruits, and peppercorns...?_

It's unfair.

_Just when I__'m__ supposedly falling out of love of him...he does something so...undeniably sweet and __boom__; I've fallen in again._

_**Deeper.**_

_**Dang.**_

"The greenhouse is in one of those two tunnels? It's quite fortunate for us..." I ran my tongue on the roof of my mouth; I was trying to feel anything. It did not seem to be even touching...

It somehow felt strange knowing the soup is hot yet tasting it as not. Although, it seemed like I didn't burn my tongue.

Naru bobbed his head. "It is fortunate that some plants survived throughout the years that it has probably been neglected. The ventilation is good, and the automated sprinkling system still works. The plants get satisfactory sunlight by the looks of it, and there seems to be no pests."

"Nature has its own way of surviving, I suppose," I agreed, shrugging.

I must admit; I didn't have an inkling to rove the greenhouse though. I somehow wanted to get out of the tower as soon as possible.

Anxiety still knotted my mind and stomach, but my great hunger must be prioritized to at least ease the gnawing awareness of unfeeling. Eating Naru's soup did wonders to my mind, gratefully. The twists and knots were loosening up gradually.

_I guess, food is one of the best tranquilizers out there._

Slowly but surely, Naru and I ate in silence. I tried not to think of anything while I ate―none of the dream and the 'temporary' loss of sense of touch. Truthfully, I was just tired of thinking at the moment; I, unlike Naru, lacked the endurance to think after all. My experiences with the consecutive dreams and when I woke up were too taxing to remember and mull over. So, I decided to focus on my food rather than on anything else that's bothering me.

Although I had a lot of servings of Naru's soup, he wasn't complaining despite the countless times I made him scoop me more of it.

He'd probably figured I would have the appetite of a pig.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

When we finished eating the soup, I offered to wash the dishes using some toothpaste Naru found in the bathroom and a strip of canvas. He'd chosen some goji berries to chew on while he waited until the washed bowls and spoons were ready for him to wipe dry.

I didn't want to think of how I couldn't feel anything at all even after my stomach had been filled―although my stomach and sense of touch were scarcely connected or whatever―so I racked my brain for any conversation starters, then, since consuming my meal entirely had made me want to focus on something at last. I recalled one and got on with it.

"Fumenmoku..." I began blabbing, and Naru arched his eyebrow at me. "It was unexpected that she killed Midoriko...Although, I think it could be because of the pressure―since she revealed in my dream that her father was very strict in her training―and she just, you know, _**snapped**_ and disp-disp―what was that condition Hoshimasa-sensei from our previous case had again?"

"Displacement," Naru supplied.

"Yeah, that..." I ranted on. "She..._**displaced**_ her anger to Midoriko or something...by killing her...But still... for her to change in such a short amount of time...I can't understand how...I mean, I dreamt of her, and I'm always in her shoes, and...well, she treasures Midoriko so much. I heard her thoughts and felt her feelings, and yet for her to kill Midoriko...It just doesn't make any sense, Naru."

Naru gazed at the fireplace pensively while popping a goji berry in his mouth―a very once-in-a-blue-moon view―before responding.

"People aren't either black or white, Mai," Naru said. "Everyone is in shades of gray. In Wakkako-san's case though, sudden murder shows a sign of her growing mental dysfunction."

Muddled, I ogled at him. "What do you mean?"

Turning the faucet off, I handed the bowls and spoons to him.

"Wakkako-san died in an asylum in Germany," he disclosed as he wiped the bowls and spoons with a clean table napkin I didn't know where he'd acquired.

My eyes expanded and mouth hung agape. "She went _**insane**_?"

"_**Psychologically impaired**_," Naru corrected and added, "Madoka sent me her research recently. Wakkako-san was brought to an asylum in Germany after arriving there for a few months. She was diagnosed with, what we call in modern terms, _**Dissociative Identity Disorder**_."

"Diss―what?" I scrunched my eyebrows.

"It's commonly called _**Multiple Personality Disorder**_," he explained, and I gasped as the term dawned upon me; I had seen enough movies with characters having such a condition. "The belief in the existence of this disorder has been shaky nowadays because of possible confabulations and deceptions. If Wakkako-san was simply pretending, though, it would be unreasonable."

My mind was epically run down with all the information. But, I did grasp the gist.

"If...she wasn't just pretending to be insane...what do you think is the cause then? For her to kill Midoriko and for her split in personality?"

"The etiology or cause of disorder is most likely psychogenic," Naru speculated. "As you aforementioned, the pressure may have contributed to the murder. Wakkako-san was a very skilled and famous dollmaker. The continuous and growing expectation might have concocted not only mental pressure but also emotional stress. Losing to her sister in a match where she seemingly has the upper hand might have―paired with her father's ridicule and extreme verbal abuse for her defeat―induced trauma. Trauma has often been linked to the splitting of personalities; thereby, as in your terms, Mai, Wakkako-san _**snapped**_."

I nictated; my mind was weaving everything in place.

Pressure...stress...ridicule...defeat...trauma. It's like an unstoppable chain of unfortunate events.

_To have a life like that..._

Feelings of sorrow engulfed me. For siblings to be torn apart like that...for their lives to botch up because of such...It's so disheartening.

_How...can people change so much?_

My eyes landed on the painting above the fireplace, and I queried quietly, "What happened to Kou-san?"

"He returned to Japan after Wakkako-san was brought to the asylum. He became a vagabond artist ever since. Nothing was known of how he died, but his body was buried properly somewhere in Kyushu."

"I see..." I watched Naru blankly as he returned the spoons and bowls in their designated places.

It's like...everything had fallen apart.

_If Midoriko is the one responsible for all the killings...what will she even get from it? Is she...doing some kind of __**eternal displacement**__?_

I sighed. Thinking about complicated and distressing things taxed my mind abruptly.

_And the awareness that I still did not regain my sense of touch after almost an hour..._

I sighed again.

_What if it won't come back anymore...?_

"Mai," Naru called, and I perked up at him.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"Tea," Naru ordered as he took a wrapped teabag from his black notebook.

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

She looked at me quizzically as I entered her room. To my misfortune, she's not a rotting cadaver as I'd expected to see.

"Who are you?" she asked, baffled at my appearance, when I sat down on a chintz chair beside her sea glass-colored patchwork bed.

I could not help but smile.

_Still, the gods have blessed me after all._

She smiled back hesitantly and then, as though a thought struck her, eagerly and pleadingly gazed at me. "Do you know me? Who am I to you? Please...tell me! I...can't remember anything."

_Finally...Finally..._

"I am Fumenmoku Wakkako, your younger sister. You are Midoriko Wakkako."

She blinked at me and then muttered as she absorbed our names. "Fumenmoku...Midoriko...? What...happened to me?"

She wrinkled her eyebrows in curiosity just as she did before I pushed her over the cliff.

"You fell over a cliff." I feigned worry and relief. "It was fortunate you're still alive...! I could have died if you were truly gone...!"

All my life, I had pretended to be a do-gooder, an enduring person.

_But I'm tired of that __**crappy pretense**__._

She looked conflicted after hearing what I said. She was naturally feeling awkward at my concern because she couldn't remember me...and therefore could not remember me trying to kill her...nor how she should feel for her 'beloved' sister's fake anxiety.

"That's―I'm glad to be alive. I...I wish I can remember you..." she stammered morosely and was nonplussed on how to act.

I beamed sadly and squeezed her hands with my own before waving it in miserable helplessness. "I wish the accident didn't take our memories too. What have we done to deserve this?"

_I wish you died instead._

If it was possible to order her to stop breathing, I would have done so from the start. But I couldn't because...

_Stupid affinity._

A knock interrupted our reunion, and I excused myself as the doctor came in. By the sounds of sobbing coming from outside through the opened door, the doctor must have already told father and mother about Midoriko's condition.

"Good job," I murmured as I passed by the doctor.

I could feel him stare at my back in wonder as I scrammed.

_He'll never know. He'll never know._

"Moku-chan." Mother gripped my hands gently when I materialized before her and father. She cried her heart out. "The doctor...The doctor said her amnesia is permanent!"

"Mika, calm yourself down," Father admonished, trying to shush mother. "Midoriko isn't dead."

"But, dear―"

"What is most grievous isn't her memory loss but her incapacitation for dollmaking," Father told us firmly. "Her dollmaking technique was a priceless discovery in the world of artisans. Such achievement, if shown to the world, would have generations to praise our clan."

"By Kami-sama, why are you thinking like that?" mother uttered in disbelief.

Father just glared at her blankly, but his eyes were watery―a very unlikely sight.

_So, he can grieve for his daughter's 'incapacitation'? How shocking._

"You will tell no one about this," Father said darkly to me. "Even Mochiyuma-dono."

I nodded.

"What are we going to do now?" mother continued to sob.

I shrugged. "We should hide her."

Mother ogled at me in disbelief too. "Moku-chan, what are you saying?"

I softened my eyes in feigned sadness and anguish. "I don't want anyone to see Midoriko like this, mother. I can't bear the thought of anyone pitying her or anything! I don't want her to get hurt again!"

"Where should we hide her?" father questioned.

I was smiling inwardly.

"Dear, why are you―?" Mother was addled.

"Where, Fumenmoku?" Father's tone increased.

I would have smirked, but I didn't.

_Father's reputation is very important to him._ I knew that so well that's why he's so easy to manipulate.

"In my work tower, father, where nobody knows except the three of us right now."

Father just nodded his head, and I strode off, leaving him to soothe mother.

The trumpets signaling my victory were reverberating in me. It was all going as I'd planned, a very huge turn from my defeat days ago...

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"Why, Father? Why do you say that I lose?"

As emotionless as ever, father stared at me. "You know very well what went wrong, Fumenmoku."

"I do not. So, tell me, Father!" I said desperately.

He glared at me furiously and roared, "I am revolted at you, Fumenmoku! The daughter I trained very well lost to her sister who have had no training whatsoever from me! You deserve your defeat. I had expected that you will find your individual creativity and use your originality, but you failed me."

"Father, what are―"

"I have already taught you before, Fumenmoku, that two aesthetics exist!" he thundered. "Mirror and prism. I have reiterated a lot of times that you should not become a mirror of other people! And yet, you copied from other dollmakers! Fumenmoku, you did not make your own technique as I'd expected from you! You did the most disgraceful and heinous thing in the world of artisans!"

Flabbergasted, I stared at him. He found out...Knowing the truth, I was frozen. I knew that I could never please him...

"From now on, you are not permitted to go outside the work tower," he said. "You will be locked up as punishment for this grave sin you've committed."

"That's―" I tried to appease.

"My decision is final." He glowered at me.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

I leered.

Father did not suspect me at all after Midoriko's 'accident.' After all, I had my alibi at the time...

And a good double.

_Dolls can be very handy._

"Moku," a familiar voice called, and I saw Kou approaching.

The smile inside me faded.

Kou heard about what happened in my battle with Midoriko, and I'd blurted unintentionally that we made him the prize. He hadn't spoken to me since―a greater reason why Midoriko should die in the first place.

Kou halted before me, but I evaded him. He held my arm to stop me from walking away.

"Moku, I..."

Hurt, I gazed at him. Guiltily, he released my arm carefully. He struggled for words, but his regret was heartfelt.

"I...I just want to say sorry about the other day. I...I understand now...how you have to settle it with Midoriko...And for that to happen to her...I feel bad because...what if it was you? What if I'd continued to be stubborn and just...broke off things so easily? But even so, for this to happen to Midoriko...I...I don't want to leave you alone. I still want to be with you, Moku! I still want to be beside you in good or bad times. I still want you to be my wife forever."

"Kou..." A genuine tear escaped from my eye, and, truly happy, I hugged him.

_Kou is the only person who can shatter my facade and understand me fully._

_To reconcile with him..._

The gods were really showering me with blessings.

Everything was falling into place, so perfectly favorable to me.

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**DAY 3; 12:00 am**

The narcissist sat on the sooty canvas in front of the fireplace. After picking up a piece of wood he'd retrieved from the humongous heap beside the fireplace, he pitched it to the flames.

Mai lay on a spread canvas behind him and fell asleep again after making him tea and washing her still-wet clothes. Her exhaustion and slumber were probably the result of empowering and healing him.

And her loss of touch.

The narcissist was guilty, but he tried not to.

Yet Mai just kept on...risking her life for him.

_She __**will**__ wake up tomorrow._

The narcissist frowned.

Once they get out of there, he thought of checking something about the sisters. It was all too suspicious. He needed to command Madoka to check for Fumenmoku Wakakko's mental status reports too. Although he's still not convinced that a ghost was behind all the murders, there's too much...mystery and loose ends in the previous family's history.

However...

Those weren't the things that bother the narcissist, actually. Truthfully, he's troubled about Mai's loss of sense of touch in her early use of PK-LT. He might have deceived Mai into thinking that she'd recover, but honestly, he wasn't sure himself. For Mai to have the loss of a sense already when she hadn't used PK-LT for many years yet proved that the effects had caught on with her earlier than on other agents.

And such condition was very dangerous indeed.

Mai moaned, and Naru whirled his head towards her sleeping form. Her mouth opened, and he suspired as he presumed that she would be calling his name again even in sleep.

However...

"...Gene..." she whispered.

Naru eyed her in perplexity.

It's not that the sound was peculiar for her to emit. It's not that she didn't say Gene's name before. It's just that a part of him was somewhat irked that she's dreaming of her older brother and not him━―in a sense.

Naru narrowed his eyes. _What is that__** lunatic **__doing again?_

Mai rolled to her side, facing Naru and the fireplace. Just then, as though in slow motion (or at least that's what it appeared to Naru's view), Mai moved up her right leg and folded it up―as though lunging sideways while lying asleep.

And the dirty canvas━―which consisted her duvet━―slipped off on the other side, behind her.

And the hem of his shirt, which he made her wear, has hiked up far ahead on her thighs that...

Naru gulped.

And then frowned.

_Why am I gulping?_

Thinking about how ridiculous his body reaction was, he furrowed his brows. Unnoticeably and fortunately, the narcissist didn't have the worst series of hiccups again.

Naru extended a hand to grab Mai's fallen duvet and arched his arms over her thighs to obtain it. Mai moaned again and mumbled, "I...can't help Naru anymore."

Naru froze; the canvas hovered in midair above Mai's legs. He then ogled at Mai.

_Can't help me...? How can she think of that even in a dream?_

Mai moaned again, and Naru snapped back to reality. He didn't notice that the duvet slid off his hand as he was tugged out of his reverie. He fumbled, for the first time, for the canvas-turned-duvet behind Mai.

But, it seems like the night was against him when Mai rolled again, now facing the ceiling. And, _**Naru's hands grasped Mai's bare soft skinny-but-firm creamy thigh**_ instead of the rough dirty duvet.

Oh, _**he didn't hiccup dreadfully**_ as he usually would have.

_**Buuuut**_, the narcissist _**froze so bad**_ as though he really _**turned to stone**_ this time and _**blanched as though every hemoglobin* was squeezed out of him**_. Naru's eyes widened, heartbeat quickened, sweat dropped from his temples, mouth parched, and hands became clammy.

_An increase in my adrenaline* and norepinephrine*...?_

Little did he know, the chemical components of his body were just starting their chain of reactions.

A strange elation swept inside of Naru, and he was astounded as he felt like every nerve smoldered while he continued grasping Mai's thigh unintentionally. _**Hastily**_, he pulled his hands abruptly from Mai's body as if she was the one burning instead of him.

And he stared at Mai in _**unusual shock **_because, inwardly, _**he discovered that he wanted to touch her**_.

_**He yearned for her...proximity.**_

And when he was grasping her (_**groping**_, actually; but the narcissistic side of him and his bloody ego were _**in such denial**_ of quite a perverse term), the _**euphoria**_ _**induced**_ was...overwhelming.

_An increase in dopamine* too...?_

He moved away from Mai and stood up briskly.

The biochemical reactions inside of him and the effects it brought to his body and mind were..._**maddening**_. He...had never experienced something like that before. Naru realized that he was still staring at the sleeping Mai, so he resolved to go to the bathroom to wash his face and awaken his senses━―just to revert to his usual indifferent, confident, and un-bothered state.

But when he went out of the bathroom and tried sleeping on the s-shaped sofa, away from Mai, he couldn't seem to sleep.

He just kept on recalling Mai's...Naru blanched and ran his hands through his hair.

_Did I just think of that? Those __**impure**__━―?_

Then it struck him.

He couldn't sleep due to...

"Decrease in serotonin*..." he murmured hypothetically and involuntarily stared at Mai's sleeping face.

The remembrance of his realization before about Mai's importance in his life and that moment's biochemical reactions finally made him aware of their interrelation in his smart brain. The scientist side of him knew theories so well, and his current experience just proved one of the most astonishing propositions.

_Attraction..._

Stages cleared.

Times leapt.

Light bulbs went on.

Trumpets were blown.

Synapses* were _**finally**_ made.

So...

_**What's Mai to him exactly?**_

...

_**Well, he finally figured that out.**_

Consequently, he really wouldn't be able to sleep with the discovery.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

I was back in the tower Naru and I stayed for the night.

Only there was no Naru.

Only there was no firelight or illumination of any kind.

The hidden tower was very dark. Although before long, there came a glow, on and off ceaselessly for a few minutes and darting from here to there of the cylindrical room. Soon, it was like the room flickered in view with glowing, fleeting, and moving lights I soon recognized as fireflies.

Next, all the fireflies surrounded the pixelated-like painting on the top of the fireplace, traced the lines on its frames, and made it look as if Christmas lights beleaguered it.

"Mai," Gene's voice resonated the room, and I whirled around to face him.

"Gene..." I murmured softly and then, crestfallen, said, "I...can't help Naru anymore..."

Gene stared at me and said in assurance, "But, you can try to control your powers, Mai."

I shook my head. "Gene...in the material world, I lost my sense of touch because of consequent use."

Genes worried face looked at me sincerely. "Mai...that's━―"

"Naru said what I have is PK-LT," I interrupted and elucidated, "That our energy is the same, but the effects of usage are different...That my PK is rare, and that frequent use has been concluded to result to total senselessness insofar..."

Gene looked at me with incomprehensible emotion. "I'm... Sorry to hear that, Mai...If I━―"

"It's not your fault, Gene." I shook my head and lifted a corner of my mouth. "I...was curious, thrilled, and reckless too. I couldn't control myself unconsciously...and my powers have always been effective when I'm unconscious. Rarely can I will it consciously...and now...I have just endangered myself because of that."

Gene's eyes softened. He jounced his head. "PK...is a very dangerous ability. It requires the extension of oneself, Mai. And being the agent━―the one who extends energy and soul━―strains and expends your physical boundaries."

"It's...frustrating," I admitted desolately. "I wish I could help Naru when he's using his powers like you can..."

Gene just smiled. "It couldn't be helped. Noll...has purely positive ki and so do you, Mai."

"Positive...?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"It's how Noll and I describe our ki," Gene explicated. "Positive ki is hot, fiery blue-green energy. Negative ki is cold, mist-like energy."

I blinked. "Is that why I can't amplify Naru's power? That's why my power repels his?"

"Yes and no," Gene replied. "Yes, you can't amplify Noll's power because you both have the same kind of energy. A PK's ki has an electrical property, so true to Coulomb's law, opposite energies attract, Mai. But, in order to amplify Naru's PK, you need not only have a positive ki but also a negative one."

My eyes widened. "T-then, you have both?"

Gene nodded. "I act as a neutralizer to Noll in a way."

"I see..."

"Mai," Gene's voice echoed, and I turned to him curiously.

But it wasn't him.

"Mai, wake up," the voice reflected everywhere, and the ground shook.

I almost lost my balance, but Gene steadied me.

Gene grinned and mouthed to me, "It's the idiot scientist."

I couldn't help but giggle.

Creating and enveloping us in a glowing cyclone, the fireflies soon danced around us. They looked beautiful at that instance...until one zoomed by the side of my skirt, and I heard an unmistakable sound of ripping fabrics.

Gene saw it too, and he instantaneously embraced me, bent over me, and covered me with his black blazer to protect me from the soon swift slashing attacks of the fireflies.

"Gene!" I gasped as I saw the cuts across his face, arms, and his blazer.

Still, Gene━―even in spiritual pain━―smiled the smile that Naru shows so rarely.

"I think you should wake up, Mai."

**END OF MAI'S DREAMS**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 3; 6:25-6:48 am**

"...i,wake up," I heard Naru's voice once more.

I woke up with a startling jolt.

"Gene!" I exclaimed, bolting upright.

I rubbed my eyes, swished my head around, and spotted Naru.

"Mai━―"

"Naru! Gene's in trouble!" I cut him off, grasping his arm.

He stared at me and narrowed his━―now noticeably red━―eyes pensively. "Calm down. Tell me clearly what happened, Mai."

I inhaled and then all the words flew out of my mouth unstoppably━―from Fumenmoku's victory to Gene's shielding from the lashing fireflies.

"Gene protected me in his expense, Naru!" I said desperately. "Gene━―"

"It's just a dream, Mai," Naru intercepted tranquilly.

He looked like he didn't sleep with how reddish his eyes were.

"That's━―!" _How can he act so calm?_

"It's just a dream. Gene will be alright."

I stared at him doubtfully. "How can you be so━―?"

"_**He's dead**_, Mai," he pointed out crossly, half grunting and growling.

I glared at the iciness of his voice, but he just soughed and peered at me as though exhausted at arguing. It was then that I realized that it's hard for him to say what he just uttered...even if he might deny it.

_I'm the one who's actually harsh...!_

Apologetic, I started, "Sor━―"

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted and then soughed again before looking away. "You're safe, and that's what Gene wants too. If he didn't protect you, you would have ended up like those dead servants in this castle."

"W-what?" I gaped at him and blanched.

"The dead servants, those who didn't end up missing, dreamt of fireflies attacking them. Their bodies were cut by an invisible force during their sleep as according to their roommates. They were also heard shouting about removing the fireflies on their bodies because it was slashing their skins and suffocating them. They weren't able to get out of the nightmare, and the slashes went on incessantly and deeper until they died of hemorrhage and or, to some, acute heart attack."

I stared at him in horror as what he said dawned on me.

_I nearly died because of fireflies in my dreams?_

"T-those fireflies then━―?" I gasped. "Naru, the greenhouse━!"

Naru shrugged and then lifted a corner of his mouth slightly. "Those fireflies didn't attack me, Mai. Fireflies don't attack people in reality. But, in a dream, anything can happen."

Naru suddenly examined me all over, making me blush and forget my musings.

_The way he ogled at me was like━―!_

_Dang, dang, dang, dang, dang!_

"W-wha━―?" I blurted nervously, detracted.

"It seems like you don't have any wounds," he observed and remarked, "That lady killer did a good job at protecting you, then."

I might have reddened. "Y-yeah."

_But...is it really alright not to worry about Gene?_

Even if he's dead...he was still hurt because of me.

_I'm so sorry, Gene...to have you involved with all of this!_

I looked at my hands, palms down on the ground.

In dreadful addition, I still hadn't regained my sense of touch.

Losing my sense of touch...I couldn't help but feel sad about it. It might be temporary, but...I felt as if I was alone without it. Just touching things or anyone and not feeling their warmth or coldness just...made me feel as though I was isolated from everything.

_As though...I don't exist anymore..._

Like...the world had become untouchable and unfeeling.

I shook my head from such dreary thoughts. I knew I shouldn't think of pessimistic stuff but the reality must not be avoided too. I was worried and sad, and...lying to myself would be fooling myself.

Somehow, from my sudden loss of touch to another near-death experience (if not for Gene's chivalry), problems and worries just kept on accumulating.

I suspired. _Why must unfortunate events arise one after another?_

There was silence before I recalled something. I turned to Naru who sat beside me, staring at the fire.

"That dream━―why did you tell me about it only now? I asked before about what your stares meant after you all listened to Masako's experience. Yet, you didn't say anything, and just shooed me away." I pouted and loured. "To think it's something important...!"

"I didn't want to trigger your unconscious." Naru loured too.

"Wha━―? _**Trigger my unconscious**_? What do you mean?" I goggled at him.

"The brain has a complex mechanism, Mai," Naru elucidated. "If I told you about the fireflies, it would be supplying your unconscious with mental images that may replay in your dreams and conjure the same effects as those servants. You're at the acme of using your dreams as a means of information gathering. But, you're still merely allowing the dreams to come to you. Since it's like that, the sensitivity of your unconscious is high too."

I was utterly confused. "What are you pointing out?"

Naru sighed. "You might be controlled, Mai. Just like those dead servants who dreamt of the same thing, your dreams might be manipulated by someone. At least, that's what Lin and I have speculated even if it sounds ludicrous. Those life-size dolls might be manipulated by the same person too. That's why, telling you about the dream might endanger your life."

Probably turning scarlet, I stared at him. _He was...protecting me too?_

"Bu-but what about the others? They've heard about the dream, right? You and Lin too! Shouldn't you all━―?"

Naru smirked. "We don't have dreams like yours, and we can protect ourselves unlike you."

I flushed angrily and gritted out, "Well, sorry if I can't protect myself!"

Naru sighed and then straightened up. "Enough about that. Before you cried out Gene's name, I was going to say that I found a way out."

Attention diverted, my eyes widened. "Wha━―where?"

Naru looked up at the ceiling, and I followed his sight. I noticed that the multi-platform ladder was moved.

"We'll be using the ladder," Naru said, confirming my thoughts. "Your clothes have dried. We'll eat first before going up."

I bobbed in agreement. Then, recalling one of my recent dreams once more, I perked up at Naru.

"Naru, about Fumenmoku having _**Multiple Personality Disorder**_...what if she really was pretending? When...I was her...I found out that she's been acting as a good daughter all the time. It's vexing, but...I could really hear and feel the difference of her personality so strongly. She couldn't just shift her personality so readily, right?"

"It could be that she was pretending," Naru assented. "It's not unheard of that people who are in a pinch━―in a heinous crime trial, for example━―will plead for insanity to save their skins from further judgment and suspicion of intentional harm. It's undeniable, too, that everyone can act insane if their life depended on it. But, pretense can only go so far in the short run. And, pretense usually becomes real in the long run."

Becoming cognizant, I blinked at him.

"You mean, she might have actually━―I mean, later on, she━―?"

Naru inclined his head, and I bit my lip.

_So...everything backfired for her...in the end?_

_But...does Midoriko know about it?_

_Does she think it was still unjustifiable?_

_But then...if she didn't die from the fall instigated by Fumenmoku..._

_Then...how did she die...?_

_Did someone kill her...or..._

I ran a hand through my hair. _Thinking really tires me out._

_But, how karma works...it's really shocking._

I needed to do something else. I counted the days we're in the castle and realized how much I'd been left out of the investigation.

_And I haven't slept in the princess-y room!_

My thoughts could really shift quickly.

_So...why not a personality?_

I looked up at the ceiling, our way out. My stomach was growling again as though I didn't eat last night.

And I still couldn't feel anything.

Our conversation ended, so we both diverted our attention to our current situation. Sighing, I got up, stretched my body, and arranged the pieces of canvas I used for sleeping. Naru added wood to the fire and reheated what was left of the potato soup last night━―not that there's a lot (it seems like we're going to make a feast of the fruits Naru had gathered).

I decided to change back into my dried clothes later, so, instead, I cleansed and sliced the fruits and then took out the bowls, spoons, and forks to place them on the wooden nesting tables.

Another silly thought came to me when Naru and I started eating our breakfast. The...arrangement of our roles while in the tower was just too..._**familial**_.

I blushed and bonked my head.

_What were you thinking, Mai? Erase, erase, erase!_

_You have a boyfriend, you know!_

Naru looked at me in fascination, but I just tried to shirk him and thought of making a different conversation shortly.

"When I was asleep most of yesterday and the night before...did you guys find anything? In the tower, I mean...ah! Is Rika-chan alright?"

"The girl's fine. The others checked the five towers after you fell down over the stairs but found nothing satisfactory. I'd ordered Yasuhara and Takigawa-san to finish your job while you're unconscious for the second time."

"Oh..." I scratched my head apologetically. "Sorry for being MIA..."

Naru just sighed. "It's nothing new."

I gawked at him and then shot, "I don't fall down the stairs frequently, you know!"

He fleered. "Yes, you don't. But you always find wherever to trip on even if it's rarely over the stairs."

I blushed and stubbornly denied. "I do not! And it's that four-legged coat rack that makes me trip on your office floor all the time...!"

Naru lifted a corner of his mouth. "You just go into a daze every time you come into my office."

"Wha━―I do not!" I contravened and spluttered, reddening.

_This conceited jerk!_

A smirk plastered to his face, he shrugged and looked away before murmuring, "Although, the dazing you is━―for a lack of better word━―_**cute**_, Mai."

Blushing so red as though lava will come out of my mouth soon, I goggled at him.

_How can he do this? How can he...be so __**sweet**__ right now?_

_How? Why? What the heck?_

I whirled my head away too, abruptly, and cleared my throat. "R-right...and you just learned that right now? You can be _**slow**_, huh."

Naru fleered. "I'm still faster than you, though."

I pouted. "Whatever."

I'd really become good at faking things. If I weren't faking indifference, I would have already rolled on the floor in happiness at what he recently uttered.

_But I have a boyfriend...I...shouldn't be happy about what Naru said._

_I can't help but wonder...__What...would be Naru's reaction if he learns about my boyfriend? __He'll probably be just indifferent, right?_

It's not like I should expect him to feel betrayed or anything.

_After all, what Naru and I have is mere friendship. He wouldn't feel wronged just because I have a boyfriend._

And it's not that I wanted Naru to be jealous that's why I started dating someone.

_I don't undergo relationships with such __**superficial motives**__._

_**Besides I...am not reserved for Naru.**_

_Just because I still love Naru doesn't mean I can't go out with someone I like. __But, I have to say that sometimes Naru...can say words and act as though he really cares..._

And...

_He said I'm cute...!_

I couldn't help giggling inwardly.

Although, that sounded so wrong to my conscientious mind.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**7:18-7:25 am**

After we ate, I went to the bathroom to change into my dried clothes and clean myself a little.

The bathroom was quite bright. Almost everything was white━: the tub, sink, shower curtains, cabinets, tiled floor, ceramic chamberpots, and even the slab of marble on the floor which concealed the garderobe. Lacquered solid brass fixtures like faucets, shower, curtain hooks, and toilet paper holders made the room gleam even more.

Looking for things I might use, I pried on the cabinet above the sink. There were shampoo and body wash bottles, unused soaps, and toothpastes. Some expired medicines also lined a shelf along with isopropyl alchohol and a bag of cottons. In the cabinet under the sink, I found some white powder (that smelled unmistakably of alum), some rags, and unused towels.

I couldn't help but frown.

Although I had the liberty to use all them, I couldn't seem to bring myself to. First and foremost, I didn't have a change of underwear with me, and there's no washing machine and dryer, so I definitely couldn't take a bath. Second, the shampoo and body wash bottles smelled...manly. Not that I was picky, but smelling like someone who used to live there just felt so...wrong. I mean, some ghost of the past might just attack me; what if I'd trigger something? Third and last, it's weird. To bathe in a tower that's been uninhabited for decades or something just crept me out. It's like I was invading some forbidden land, and everything in it screamed 'GET OUT.' So, I definitely couldn't use the things so freely...

Sighing and deciding, I got a seemingly clean chamberpot and washed it to get rid of dust and germs with the overused toothpaste and a seemingly clean towel. Then, I scooped up with my hands some of the powdered alum and mixed it with water in the chamberpot. I then undressed, leaving just my underwear, dipped another clean towel in the mixture, and started cleansing myself.

I didn't really mind the minimal cleansing I could do at that moment. Besides, alum was quite a sufficient cleaner; my mother had once told me that it has antibacterial properties, and when I was struggling to pay for my rent years ago, I'd used alum as mouthwash, house cleaner, and soap.

Not only did it help me pay my rent; it also helped me have a good meal everyday.

_How nostalgic...those days_.

Still, when we got out of there, I was planning to have a very long and replenishing bath. And apply shampoo. And use a fragrant soap.

After all, I did not take a bath yesterday.

I didn't really like the quiet permeating in the bathroom and outside━; the narcissist was really sullen. So, I sang in whispers to myself, "I stink~I stink~I really really stiiiink~"

I must repeat; I did not, after all, take a bath yesterday.

The indescribable smell of alum was nice.

I looked at my right elbow as I started to do alum wonders on it and then blinked.

A fresh thin gash was there.

I gasped as I became aware of what it meant.

The dream became reality indeed...

But...

That wasn't what bothered me.

No...

What bothered me was that...

_**I couldn't feel any pain.**_

_**Too**_.

* * *

**XDXDXD~nya~**

**7:46-8:17 am**

After putting back the rolls of canvas on their previous stations, cleaning up the scraps of our food by throwing them to the fire, lighting up the lantern━―which we took from the table━―by igniting paintbrush bristles, and tossing a chamberpot full of water on the fire, Naru and I went up the already situated multi-platform ladder.

"Does it lead to a room?" I asked hopefully. I still wore Naru's shirt over me with the excuse that my body might become cold even if I couldn't feel anything.

If I showed the gash to Naru, I didn't know what he might say. But, I didn't want him to be bothered by it.

Naru shrugged. I couldn't see his face since he's ahead of me.

"I did not inspect where it leads."

I gaped at him for a moment but then grabbed his arm and turned him around.

"You can't be serious!"

Naru glared. "Do you think I have the idiocy to leave you in an underground tower and wander so carelessly? I only left you once because Lin's shikis were there. But, when I found the way out, Lin's shikis weren't there, so naturally, I couldn't leave you unprotected."

I might have flushed at how...caring he seemed to have thought of not leaving because he's...sort of worried about me...Although, it's implied, or I was just probably overanalyzing...

_Dang this...worrywart side of him!_

"I...guess, you're right." I smiled sheepishly.

He loured and just ascended wordlessly. I followed him without a word too, and we reached the utmost platform in good speed (it's a very long way up though and quite tiring).

Naru gave me the lantern and then arranged some crates, which were already there on the platform, above the painted full moon of the ceiling. He climbed up the crates━―which resulted to him crouching over, below the very near ceiling━―and extended his arms overhead to push the painted full moon on the ceiling upwards. The roundness of the moon sank upwards━―if that even makes sense━―like pressing a keyboard. Naru lodged the moon-painted trapdoor aside devil-knows-where and then straightened, his waist and upper parts disappearing above wherever. Naru sank back later, crouching and the rest of him appearing, and then ordered to me, "Give me the lantern. Follow me closely, Mai."

I nodded obediently. I mounted the crates too, crouched, and handed him the lantern. He went up first and then helped me up after lodging the lantern aside.

We scrutinized the place after dusting ourselves off, and I couldn't help but gasp.

A winding and zigzagging hallway of mirrors greeted us eerily. I shuddered at the sight of me and Naru, reflected endlessly in different angles.

But that wasn't the scariest thing out there.

No.

The scariest thing was the _**bloodstained mutilated life-size doll parts**_ lining up both sides of the hallway of mirrors; the inhuman appendages were reflected with Naru and I.

I was about to scream, but I bit my lip hastily and clung to Naru...

Until I tasted blood on my lips.

* * *

**XDXDXD~nya~**

"S-sorry for being such a scaredy cat." I might have blushed inopportunely.

Naru just smirked. "I'm used to it."

As a matter of fact, I'd become quite bold at the scariest of circumstance; I held Naru's left hand firmly and pleaded that he would never let me go after seeing the doll parts for the first time. We then traipsed straight ahead, truly unknowledgeable of where we're going but still moving on without stopping.

It's like we're in the 'Haunted House' in my school's cultural festival event again. But this time, we're in the real thing.

I didn't dare look at the lined up doll parts again because when I did a few minutes before, I saw a very-out-of-place red-eyed teddy bear. And, I was very certain that when we passed by, its head turned toward us as I peeked from the corner of my eyes.

I. Must. Be. Getting. So. PARANOID!

_But then, WHO WOULDN'T?_

_I'm surrounded by bloody human-like doll parts, for Kami's freaking sake!_

Naru was quite nice about it and didn't tease me about my boldness━―another addition to his charming points.

Naru stopped. I tensed and glimpsed up at him. "What's...?"

"It's a dead end."

I gawked at him and then swished my head ahead.

Indeed, only a floor-length mirror stood before us.

"W-what are we going to do now?" I asked timorously.

I clearly didn't want to swivel back and embark another freaking doll-infested way.

Naru squeezed my hand and gazed at me solemnly. "It'll be alright. We'll get out of here."

_Really, he's being so nice..._

I somehow wanted to hug him for it. But I didn't, of course.

Helplessly doubtful, I bit my lip. Naru glowered at the mirror before us, and it was then that I realized that he was actually thinking hard about something.

"Um...Naru...?"

He gave me the lantern again.

"Stand back, Mai."

Speechless and agape, I reluctantly did.

And then, I was in for a great shock; Naru single-handedly punched the mirror's surface very hard.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

I didn't know how much power Naru gave to the punch, nor did I know how great Naru's potential as a boxer would be. All I knew was that his effort wasn't futile; the mirror cracked under his knuckles and fell into pieces on the ground.

There was nothing but black at the back of the mirror though...

_But is that fabric?_

Naru victoriously puffed out some arrogant air through his nose while massaging his knuckles━; it's reddish and must have been hurting, but he wasn't complaining. "I guessed as much."

_Not only his eyes but his knuckles have also turned scarlet now...!_

"A-are you alright?" I questioned, worried.

He shrugged and lifted a corner of his mouth again. "I'll be fine. On the other hand, this castle has quite a playful nature."

We fixed our sight ahead of us. Soon enough, I came nigh, caressed the black thing beyond the broken mirror, and confirmed its fabric consistency.

"Naru!" I drew my breath, and he bobbed his head.

"It's probably some tapestry or curtain of sorts," he surmised. "It might lead us to a familiar room."

At his nod, I pushed the fabric aside and lit the dark place beyond with the lantern.

A well-kempt Westernized room greeted our sight.

Grinning jubilantly in relief, I yipped, "Naru, it's probably one of the 4th or 5th floor rooms!"

Both of us kicked off the rest of the mirror in our way and slipped into the room beyond. The fabric which we held aside was actually a sable tapestry, embroidered with a huge red spider lily design━―so scary in the dim light.

"What era is this, and in what country?" I quizzed.

"Victorian," Naru responded as he went across the room and turned on a lamp and then the great chandelier on the ceiling. "England."

I nictated and somehow felt awed.

The room was beautiful and well...girly. There were frills here and there, floral prints on walls (along with my princess-y room, it's probably one of the few which didn't leave the marble walls untouched) and couches, pastel colors contrasted very well with darker ones, carvings of creatures and flowers in every woodwork, and lots of crystallic stuff that made me afraid to touch even anything. Only the ebony tapestry, where we snuck in, was quite out-of-place.

It all looked so elegant that I felt unworthy to even peregrinate its stylish carpeted floor.

Despite the undeniable beauty of the room, though, I wanted to get out of it instantly. It was, after all, connected to the hallway of terrifying things.

I would have gladly run away from the room immediately, but Naru stalled me.

"We should mark and memorize this place. We'll explore the hallway and the greenhouse again when the others have arrived. The other end of the former may lead somewhere else that'll be helpful to the case."

_Just his way of being considerate..._

I suspired, and agog, I tilted my head. "By marking, you mean...?"

Naru fished out some strips from his black notebook's hidden pockets━―it's amazing how many things he might have hidden there━―and showed me shiny papers with prints...

I goggled at him. "Are those stickers? Seriously? And isn't that a _**chibi version of me**_ on the designs?"

Naru shrugged and then leered. "It's Madoka's doing. She got puny versions of me too, but I can't afford to give images of me anywhere or make use of them."

I frowned and scowled. "Oh really? Just admit that you want to torment me with it."

Naru elevated a corner of his mouth. "You're really learning."

Dang. That. Ethereal. Cocky. Smile.

Knowing that he had stickers of little me though, instead of Lin-san's or anyone else, just made me so elated.

_What a conflicted girl I am._

Shunting my head and probably turning crimson, I cleared my throat and uttered flatly, "Whatever. But, wouldn't that be called vandalism?"

"It's easy to take off, so it doesn't destroy anything," he answered as he got one sticker of little me; the stickers had me in chibi poses and expressions━; there's the tripping me, tea-sipping me, hands-on-hips me, blushing (what the heck?) me, fiery me, dazzled me (eyes with diamonds...Madoka, really!), and a lot more.

I didn't know if I should be angry or not, but I decided to take one strip of chibi-me stickers and began marking wherever I felt like. After all, it could be really helpful to the case. But, I made sure to mark places that couldn't be seen immediately since I didn't want my shiny chibi faces to be so evident like that.

When we finally ran out of chibi-me stickers (to which I was thankful), Naru and I retreated from the room finally. The lack of stickers, though, did not stop Naru from marking the door with a tacky blank note.

We ambled the nearest staircase, and we later descried that the room we slipped out from was actually on the seventh floor.

I breathed and felt allayed to be outside of the tower. Being underground or whatever just felt so...suffocating as though any time I'd be caved in or something.

"I guess we really should double check the blueprints," I told Naru.

As we reached the second floor, Naru and I concurred to shower and don clean clothes before going to the base. However, what I didn't know was that he's going to wait for me inside my room.

Most likely erubescent, I queried, "W-why are you━-?"

"From now on, no one will go off anywhere alone," he explicated. "I've already instructed the others to share rooms the day before yesterday. You'll be moving to Hara-san and Matsuzaki-san's room tonight."

I pouted. "Just when I thought I could finally sleep in a beautiful room..."

The narcissist just cheekily shirked my comment. "Go and do what you must. I'll wait here."

I sighed. _Although it's precautionary measure...still..._

I peered at my designated room sadly yet was soon mesmerized.

The room was very sparkly. It was like I was under the sea. Some part of the walls were imbued with what I found out as an enormous replica of the woodblock-printed _'The Great Wave Off Kanagawa'_ by the famous Edo artist Hokusai━; I'd had field trips to the National Museum enough to not forget it. On another part of the walls was a painting of the sea world: its fauna, flora, and under-the-sea land formations. The entire room was partitioned with shell bead curtains. The tapestries depicted seahorses with merfolks on them. The lamps, couches, tables, china cabinets, wardrobes, chairs, chandeliers, and pillows had dolphin, mermaid, and starfish details on them. The ceiling was a glittering turquoise hue as well as the tiled floor. All in all, the most sea-enchanting was the wide aquamarine-colored and sea shell-shaped marble bed with spring green sheets and cyan pillows. It had a marvelous huge shimmering lavender jellyfish as a canopy, the tasseled and ruffled tentacles cascading around the bed.

I heaved a sough. Such beauty just exuded tranquility I would not experience again.

As Naru sat on a white knotted chair, I pouted and approached my trolley bag in defeat. It was only when I was about to take out my underwear that I remembered Naru's presence and that I. Could. Not. Give. Him. The. Luxury. Of. Seeing. My. Underwear!

He arched an eyebrow when I looked over at him; I might have even been reddening involuntarily.

_Why must it be like this?_

After some quick thinking, I zipped shut my trolley bag and started to drag it towards the bathroom. Naru just smirked and said nothing━―which was maddening of him!━―but I held my chin up. When I was finally safe in the bathroom, I heaved another sigh.

I knew I should stop overreacting, but...it's just embarrassing. I mean, he's not my girl friend or my boyfriend━―not that I show my boyfriend or anyone my underwear!━―but he's just...!

I soughed.

_These days, I'd been feeling so...wary of Naru. No...for months actually, I'd been...trying not to get too close to him._

_Because I have a boyfriend_.

_Because I'm a frog of the ocean, after all._

_And I'm...actually more happy with someone else._

_Is it wrong to think that I deserve someone better, someone who makes me happy, and someone who makes me feel free?_

I looked at myself on the mirror.

"I'm not cheating on anyone," I told myself resolutely.

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**10:01-10:39 am**

Naru and I went to the base after taking turns on waiting upon each other━―no, I didn't see a shirtless Naru, but he got out in a black bathrobe and took his clothes (I didn't see his boxers or any underwear I could tease him about!) to the bathroom with smirks sent my way!

As we sojourned at the base, Naru called the others to check on them and inspected the blueprints. He also called Madoka and ordered her to do things regarding with the case. While I made tea, Tenura-san intruded upon us and gushed his delight at seeing us. He'd thought we were abducted by the same person who kidnapped the servants. Kirio-kun and Rika-chan also greeted and inquired upon us before going to their late breakfast.

While we ate some late morning snacks, the others arrived almost simultaneously. The first were Ayako and Lin-san. For the first time, Lin-san looked slightly haggard and quite worried.

And━―I must admit━―quite very handsome.

It seemed like Lin-san forgot to comb his long fringe over the side of his face and left it disheveled along with the rest at the back of his head. He looked more...outgoing with such a punk and youthful look.

When he saw us, he immediately asked Naru, "Are you alright?"

I gaped at him and looked at Ayako in surprise. Ayako just shrugged and said, "His sort of 'Master' told him that there's a murderer in this castle―a human at that."

"Master...?" I blinked and gawked.

_Murderer?_

"His teacher or something," Ayako explicated and added to me, "Are you feeling alright? You seem flushed. Anyway, we weren't able to come back yesterday because the rain flooded the road ahead of us. So, we stayed at a temple last night."

I nodded, still addled.

Naru just squinted his eyes at Lin-san and finally spoke, "Of course I am. Tell me what you found out."

Lin-san soughed in relief and gazed at Naru in his usual emotionless expression, now business-like.

But his hair somehow made him look...not so serious.

"It's not the Er Gui or hungry ghost as I'd thought. Master Xiezhou said that what's happening with the dolls is like a Japanese equivalent of Zhi Ren."

"Zhi Ren?" Naru elevated his eyebrow.

I tilted my head. _A Chinese...?_

"In Chinese folklore, Zhi Ren are paper-made dolls offered to the dead as servants. These dolls can move to do their dead master's bidding."

"That indeed makes sense," Ayako nodded.

"Instead of paper-made dolls, life-size dolls―ceramic or wooden―with souls were probably offered or most reasonably forced to do a ghost's bidding," Lin-san speculated. "Master Xiezhou said that the ghost controlling those souls in dolls might be possessing someone in this castle in order to make those dolls and kill those servants and detectives who went missing and didn't die in their sleep."

"For what purpose?" Naru questioned, louring.

"Revenge is the only plausible reason I can think of at the moment," Lin-san riposted.

There was quiescence.

Then...something struck me━―an idea I'd never thought of before.

_What if━―?_

Without thinking, I blurted out, "What if it's not revenge?"

I astonished even myself. Well, it's just me and Ayako though.

Ayako frowned. "Mai, that's ri━―"

"I dreamt a lot of things about this place," I intercepted, "and the dreams I had are too intriguing that they're unlikely to be useless bits of information."

Waiting for a signal to start my disclosure, I eyed Naru meaningfully.

He just shrugged.

I told Lin-san and Ayako the same things I had told Naru. By then, Ayako's facial expression went from skeptical to analytical. Lin-san's face remained stagnantly expressionless but pensive. Naru appeared quite busy with whatever he had in his black notebook to even care to notice the things around him.

"Two sisters..." Ayako murmured. "Fumenmoku isn't the one who made those dolls? But, why do you think it might not be because of revenge?"

I shrugged and probably blushed before scratching my head sheepishly. "Haha I-I don't know either. It's...just a feeling I guess haha...I-I mean...not to be rude Lin-san, but I just think revenge is so...overused━―ah!"

Eyes scrunched shut, I bowed immediately to Lin-san. "Sorry for being rude!"

"You weren't being so, Taniyama-san," Lin-san spoke in his deep voice. "You do have a point, and I believe it is essential that we look at other possible reasons for this case. You have not done anything wrong."

"T-thanks..." I said coyly, and Lin-san just nodded.

"Naru," Lin-san called. "What do you think of Taniyama-san's speculation?"

Naru glanced up from his black notebook and quoth, "It is possible. Her idea supports the fact that the culprit behind all of this makes no selective attention to someone with certain qualities. The variety of the victims makes the thought of having an overlapping similarity among them quite a meaningless one. Hence, the targets are not the semblance of Midoriko Wakkako-san's sister. And, connecting Lin's theory, Midoriko Wakkako or somebody else might be manipulating those dolls, mechanically or not. Although, I still find it ridiculous for a ghost to control something without possession."

I nictated at Naru. "Ghosts can move things though...Why not people controlling people? Or ghosts, rather?"

Naru shrugged and frowned. "There's no solid scientific and empirical proof that someone has the ability to control people's minds and bodies, even ghosts for that matter. Invading and controlling someone is possible if it's possession. But if it's not the latter, it's a debatable notion. Humans and ghosts have a strong will, and controlling anyone at a distance sounds creative but impossible. However, with the pace of our investigation, we should be open for such probabilities right now; scientific facts have a nature of being debunked everyday."

"I see..." I furrowed my brows.

_Those dolls acted so...human and they can be fast...To be controlled through a device seems impossible..._

"The reason for the murders...How about...it's some sort of sacrifice?" Ayako suggested. "If the victims have no similarity, then the random murders might be some sort of game too or something. We might be dealing with a living madman or a twisted ghost."

We all thought about it and found it sensible somehow.

_It couldn't be Fumenmoku...? If she died in Germany... she can't possibly haunt a faraway place?_

"A sacrifice or a psychopathic satisfaction may be good reasons," Naru conceded, and Ayako smiled in triumph.

I didn't really know what else to say since my head had decided to spin around. But the feeling of not being certain about something was really troublesome for all of us. We still didn't know what we're up against. We're merely gathering information and speculating.

And it's already our third day.

_How are we going to solve this case?_

_What if...this case isn't really for us but for detectives?_

Before, while we waited for the others, Naru had filled me in about his interviews with the male servants and other findings. Insofar, I hadn't heard that there are ghostly (as in wholly human-form ghosts) apparitions in the castle. No poltergeist phenomena too.

_A ghost or not a ghost?_

The lack of answers was frying my brain!

"Have you called the others?" Lin-san queried and Naru inclined his head.

"Takigawa-san and Hara-san had the same circumstances as yours," Naru informed, "but I couldn't reach Yasuhara and Brown-san."

I bit my lip. _Yasuhara and John should be okay...I hope..._

Lin-san just nodded back and said, "I'll go check the videos recorded last night. You and Taniyama-san haven't checked them, I suppose?"

Naru shrugged. "Do what you want."

Lin-san headed to the shelves of monitors while Ayako served a cup of tea for herself. Bou-san, Masako, Yasuhara, and John arrived then━―Lin-san had already fixed his hair, as though instantly.

Bou-san hugged me as soon as he spotted me and gushed, "I missed you, jou-chan! Naru-bou didn't take advantage of you, did he?"

He sent a piercing glare at Naru, who just fleered. Gratefully, Ayako bonked the monk on the head. "You're the one harassing her, you monk!"

"Guh! I'm not, _**obaa-san!**_" Bou-san defended and Ayako fumed, soon chasing him with Naru's clipboard.

Naru glowered at their wake but soon suspired. I couldn't help beaming then.

_It's gladdening that everyone's back._

Yasuhara tapped me on the shoulder, and John addressed me. Masako just snubbed me as always and resumed her adherence to Naru. Subsequently, since Bou-san was busy running away from Ayako and Masako was preoccupied with seeking Naru's attention, Naru instructed Yasuhara and John to firstly divulge what they'd discovered at the village they went into.

Yasuhara and John ogled obliquely at each other quite meaningfully before shrugging simultaneously.

_They somehow looked suspicious..._I squinted my eyes at them.

"Well...yesterday was quite so-so for us..." Yasuhara started, and all those who were in motion stopped to listen eagerly.

* * *

**FLASHBACK **

**DAY 2; 11:55 am**

_Finally here..._

Yasuhara sighed heavily, a slightly panting John and a hopping little girl beside him at the top of the long staircase to the Shinto shrine.

The little girl made some guttural sounds again, ushering them to follow her. Soundlessly, the duo let the girl lead them to a house behind the shrine.

The shrine was deserted, a peculiar instance. Usually, mikos would be seen sweeping off leaves or guarding the charm store.

They proceeded to the backyard where the shoji backdoor of what they assumed as the miko's residence was open. The little girl hopped on the back porch and skidded to the open room. Yasuhara motioned to follow but John curtailed him.

"We should wait here, Osamu-san," John suggested and Yasuhara nodded.

It was good that John was able to halt him; Yasuhara's curiosity could somehow make him reckless at times. So, patiently, they waited outside yet still tried to listen to whatever conversation they might catch inside.

"You're back, Yuna," a woman's voice, motherly mellifluous, uttered from the room. They couldn't see the speaker's face but the duo could make out a red and white robe resembling that of a miko's wardrobe.

No one spoke. Even breaths were stilled as the incomprehensible guttural sounds of the little girl permeated the air.

"I see..." The woman's voice pierced the quiescence lightly. There was a pause and then, "Visitors of Yuna, you may come in."

Yasuhara and John glanced sideways at each other, blinking. The desire to come in was evident in their faces and so they eagerly and briefly nodded at each other before simultaneously entering the backdoor.

But, before they could see the face of the miko, their necks were pricked.

And they were knocked out senseless.

**END OF FLASHBACK **

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**10:40 am**

Yasuhara was going to continue his story when a heavy knock on the base's door was heard.

"Come in," Naru commanded to the interceptor.

Tenura-san, then, stuck his head in the base. "Um...Is Taniyama-san here?"

I blinked in wonder and shrugged innocently at the questioning stares of the rest. Sighing and curious, I approached Tenura-san.

"What is it, Tenura-san?"

Tenura-san looked at me for a moment and then gazed behind him, "She's here, young master."

I nictitated. _Who's━_―_?_

"I'll take it from here, then, Tenura-san," I heard a familiar voice say. "Thank you."

Tenura-san stepped aside and bowed to someone behind the opened door.

Then, a fair-haired young man strode in the base and my eyes expanded in bewilderment.

Fireflies perched on my stomach and resided there.

"Claude..." I breathed, blushing and flummoxed.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~thetruerivalcomes!**

"_**Two aesthetics exist: the passive aesthetics of mirrors and the active aesthetics of prisms. Guided by the former, art turns into a copy of the environment's objectivity or the individual's psychic history. Guided by the latter, art is redeemed, makes the world into its instrument, and forges―beyond spatial and temporal visions―a personal vision.**_

_**~Jorge Luis Borges~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**GO TO PART 3 of this IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO CLAUDE IS! XD**

_**I. EXPLANATION OF TERMS**_

**Displacement**=as in Reminiscence, 'the expression of an unwanted feeling or thought redirected from a more threatening, powerful person to a weaker one.' It's like when you're supposed to be angry with your parents, you get angry with your sibling instead.

**Miko/s=**shrine priestess

**Loss of sense of touch=**isn't something to be downplayed. It might seem too mild to be worried about but it's not. When you lose your sense of touch, you lose the ability to feel or tell the temperature, pain, and movement. Some might allow themselves to be vulnerable to things because they can't feel them. It's uber dangerous! T_T

**Dissociative Identity Disorder=**also known as Multiple Personality Disorder is a disorder wherein a person is characterized by different and maybe contrasting personalities every now and then, usually in random intervals. Trauma, mostly in early childhood, has been said to largely cause this disorder. It has been currently taken out of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders) for the reasons which Naru explained, though. It's still quite a controversial disorder at the present.

Adrenaline**, **norepinephrine**, **dopamine** and **serotonin**=are neurotransmitters. **Neurotransmitters **are chemical messages released by a neuron's (brain cell's) **synapses** (connections made by neurons in order to send and receive messages from one another). Now, **_the amazing thing is that these four neurotransmitters have some interesting functions when a person is attracted_** (the so-called 2nd stage of love in the Theory of Chemical Basis of Love by Helen Fisher) **_to someone_.

**Intriguing and amazing, right? How so? ****Well first, **adrenaline** is responsible for stress (i.e. anger or fear etc.―in Naru's case, it's a response of intense attraction XD) responses such as increase in heart rate or sweating. It's the most known of the four. **Along with adrenaline, norepinephrine** is responsible for attention and has been said to be responsible also for printing memories in the amygdala (the seat of agression, fear, and emotional memory) of the brain. So yeah, those legs of Mai? Naru is sure to never forget them muahaha ****Anyway, **dopamine** is responsible for **_pleasure_** and **_desire_. **So the elation Naru felt is a result of the increase in it. **Serotonin**, lastly,** **is responsible for sleep and mood. Its decrease has a part in obsession and insomnia; so when Naru couldn't sleep and he kept on remembering Mai's bare legs (but of course, that's not the only thing he remembers, alright?―the narcissist is still quite innocent****), it's actually the culprit. **

**So yeah, when Naru was blabbing about those things, he was actually noting the reasons for what's causing his 'sensations' *ahem* and since his mind works fast, putting all those in equation, he already has the idea. ****FINALLY. ****So Naru is finally graduating from his density *ahem* soon enough━―it's long overdue anyway.**

**Hemoglobin**=responsible for the reddish color of blood. Without it...well, we'll look worse than vamps.

**Chibi**=small

**II. REVIEW REPLIES**

**This will comprise of replies for reviews in Chapters 7 and 8;**

**FUnhause64: **Thank you for reading, reviewing, and waiting^^ I hope you enjoyed this new chap hehe XD

**Eltria Aradia: **Thank you very much!

**Ariana Taniyama: **Hell yeah! Finally! XD And yes, Naru farting was a really funny one. I can't stop laughing at that scene over and over again (to think I'm the one who wrote and thought of it lol). I'm quite a random person and I have to admit that my mind can be very twisted with the humor that springs up to me lol XD Thank you for reading and reviewing ^^

**smilingspaz: **Thank you ^^ and yes, I'm very happy for Naru too :) His density is gradually decreasing ^^

**ccssy -little wolf-:** Thank you very much ^^

**Ja ne, Kat: **As before, thank you again for the corrections. :) The John-Yasu pairing is quite a new one to me too. o.O Haha ^^ When I decided to pair them up for field work, I decided to do things differently, that's why. Their pairing is quite intriguing, though. *grins wickedly*

**Emina105: **Thank you ^^ I hope you enjoyed this new chapter too :) Many exciting events will be going on soon.*winks*

**Krissy2lip: **Indeed, Mai has become indecisive again. Mai tends to be doubtful of herself and then goes into a whirlwind of contradictory thoughts. She's one very conflicted girl. :) It makes her exciting to write, though, since bringing development to her weakness will become more fruitful and enlightening. I'm sorry if I made her annoying. T_T I'm grateful to you for reading and reviewing every chapter, though. ^^

**bsmastersmith: **Aww :) Thank you very much! I hope you enjoyed this chap. ^^

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: **Yup, she has a boyfriend and he finally arrived in this chapter (another start of mayhem). Claude's timing is very crucial too since only now did Naru start to make his move and then when he realizes that Mai's taken...Ahh the events it brings to mind muahaha*winks* But of course, Naru's pride won't ever waver. His comeback will be the most exciting and fun to write. XD muahaha

**thearistocrat: **Thank you very much.^^ I'm very glad you've enjoyed this story :) I hope you're delighted in reading this chapter too. :D

**theunnamed:**Yes, I'm surprised myself! O.o XD Well, truthfully, I'm such a random person so when something comes to mind, I literally spring it to life with words hehe ^^ Anyway, yeah, finally an intimate NaruXMai moment. But, yeah, an internal conflict too. T_T

**EmeraldStar-goddess: **I'm so sorry that soon became months after :( but I'm really glad that you're anticipating for this chapter. Thank you.^^

**Music-Lover2011: **LOL AT MURDER! XDTruthfully, I do feel sad for doing this Mai-has-a-bf thing too. I know that this turn will disappoint a lot of people, especially me. But, to be honest, I'm quite tired of making Mai do the pursuing all the time. She's human, not a saint. :) Although Mai resolved in Reminiscence that she'll continue loving Naru, she can't just live her whole life chasing him. She has limitations too so yeah ^^ And yeah, I laughed on the fart thing too. Like OMG this is wicked!

**A Random Fan: **Who's Mai's boyfriend? Now you know! XD Thank you very much for your patience to read this story! ^^ And LOL I understand the feeling. T_T I want Mai to be with Naru too buuuuuttt *pouts* I don't want it to be anticlimactic or anything =.= And Naru must learn how hurtful true regret feels; I'm such a sadist! :O Sorry T_T

**Beautiful Maiden: **I'm touched at your reviews. ^^ Thank you very much. And yes, Mai's imminent death is near. Everything will make sense eventually :D

**izhra: **Thank you very much! XD And, Mai's boyfriend arrives in this chap! Surprised? What's Naru's reaction? ^^ It'll be in next chapter. Sorry for another wait T_T

**To those who reviewed very long ago, I'll send you pms with gratitude ^^**

_**III. RANTS**_

**o.O Yeah, I know: the lame drama I wickedly spin and weave. Yeah, I know again; I ****bloody make ways**** for it to happen. You must all hate me now for it. T_T Sorry!**

**^^ Anyway, you all must be curious about this 'newcomer.' Well, since it might have sparked already in some of you, Claude isn't really a newcomer. He's actually introduced specifically in Reminiscence chapter 8. Yes, that disagreeable you-won't-know-how-to-handle type of guy. He was very irritating in Reminiscence, the bastard, but...well there's more than the surface to that. ^^ I'm not defending him or anything. Just saying :3 **

**How Mai and Claude came to be? What did the others find out in the villages? WHAT are they really up against? You'll find out next chapter! ^^**

**And so we have come to the third day of investigation ^^ Claude has arrived and Mai, for sure, has an imminent confrontation. The shock, the envy, and the angst in all of this...what do you think will Naru do? Will he 'steal' Mai or will the stubborn Mai emerge strongly? **

**How was this chapter? You may share your thoughts. ^^**

**Next chapter will be entitled "Ambivalent."**

**XD See you next chapter hehe ü**

**P.S. Wow o.O this was the longest A/N ever! Sorry!**


	10. Ambivalent

**A/N: Sorry if I'm a month late! T_T Some punctuations are lost in this one, so there might be some words that are sticking together or ending awkwardly when they shouldn't be. I'll check and add them later. ^^**

**Anyway, I just detonated a bomb last chap, right? Here's another one! *Does rumba***

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**Terms beforehand;**

**Kamikakushi=spirited away by god**

**PK-ST=Psychokinesis on Still/Stationary Targets**

**PK-MT=Psychokinesis on Moving Targets**

**Zaisu= a Jap chair without legs but with a back rest**

**Kamaitachi=are actually weasel youkais who knock down, cut, and medicate people in Jap myth; it has been used in Ghost Hunt anime as a method of cutting people's skins out of thin air.**

**Kaguya-hime=is the princess of the moon in a popular Jap folktale. She's a sought-after girl...**

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya**

**Review**

Tenura-san looked at me for a moment and then gazed behind him. "She's here, young master."

I nictitated. _Who's_―_?_

"I'll take it from here, then, Tenura-san," I heard a familiar voice say. "Thank you."

Tenura-san stepped aside and bowed to someone behind the opened door.

Then, a fair-haired young man strode in the base, and my eyes expanded in bewilderment.

Fireflies perched on my stomach and resided there.

"Claude..." I breathed, blushing and flummoxed.

**End of Review**

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"_**Remember: Feeling ambivalent is a crucial step in the process of living thoughtfully. When we notice our ambivalence and examine it, then our minds can thrive."**_

**~Dr. Rose from 'This Full House' by Virginia Euwer Wolff~**

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 3; 10:45-11:10 am**

My Japanese tongue slipped 'Krawdo,' and I had wanted to correct it.

But, just the sparkle in Claude's gray eyes already informed me that it didn't matter to him how I pronounced his name.

_He loves it in Japanese or English way._

My heart fluttered and thumped for Claude.

I was probably blushing, although I couldn't feel the heat creeping to my cheeks.

Wearing a creamy long-sleeved silk shirt and ruffled denim skirt, I'd become conscious of my appearance.

_I...don't look weird, right?_

Suddenly coy, I bit my lip (still can't feel anything).

The way Claude's eyes danced when we locked gazes made my frozen heart melt...A crack appeared at the entirety of the supposed out-of-bounds and well-protected area which Naru resided for a long time.

I'd never thought I would start falling for someone else besides Naru.

I'd never thought I would find someone who'd make me happy like Naru's presence did.

I'd never thought I would feel mutual affection with someone else...Though, I knew Naru could never be mutually affectionate with me.

I kept falling deeper for Claude every time.

_Yet, I wish I fall out of love with Naru easily like that._

_But I don't._

_I just don't._

I sighed.

It's the greatest mystery of all.

"Claude...you're here...How━―?" I found my voice, but I stammered, furrowed, and un-furrowed my eyebrows.

I was deeply bemused.

However, Claude shushed me with his shimmering smile.

And...those memories with Naru? They paled in comparison to Claude's.

Swoosh. Snap. Zap!

My memories of Claude slowly erased the overrated memories with Naru...and replaced them.

I was refreshed once more.

_With whom will my love be successful?_

_It's not Naru. That's the truth._

_So, I won't make a mistake ever again._

I'd decided; Claude's the one I'd like to be with me.

I smiled back jubilantly. _I'm glad he's here._

"I came to visit," he told me.

I couldn't help but be worried at how slightly blanched he was. His dandelion-colored hair was a little disheveled (a sign that he probably slept on the way to the castle), and the area under his eyes were darker than usual. Despite his sleep-deprived look, he's still very comely with his neatly pressed sky blue shirt and black jeans.

My mind went blank, so the two of us just stared at each other as though everything made sense and words didn't matter.

It was only when Bou-san's _'Ahem ahem'_ rang through my ears that I broke the eye contact with Claude and reddened again, now shyly, as I instantaneously became fixated with my white combat shoes.

...As though it was a crime...to stare at anyone.

"Oh," I sounded abashedly, very late and quite meaningless.

The stomping sound Bou-san made as he peregrinated towards us was unmistakably impatient.

"Mai, who's━―?"

The door to the base widened and slammed on the wall; I swore almost everyone flinched at the impact.

"Chiaki-nii!" Rika-chan, in a sunflower-printed dress and matching headband, hollered in excitement and flung to Claude.

And I stood, astounded at the familiarity of her greeting.

"Nii?" I wondered aloud as I saw Claude patting Rika-chan's head.

"How are you doing, Rika?" Claude inquired amiably even though he looked tired.

I blinked. _I'd never thought he deals well with kids...Unlike the narcissist who━―_

I halted my thoughts. _There's no need to compare them!_

"I'm doing great, Chiaki-nii!" Rika-chan giggled, and moe filled my heart.

Soon after, a panting Kirio-kun streamed in. "Rika, don't run like that! Chiaki-nii won't disappear━―"

"Kirio-kun too...?" I tilted my head, addled.

_How do they know Claude?_

Kirio-kun blushed when I ogled at him in curiosity and confusion.

_How?_

Claude sensed my unspoken question, and he beamed at me.

"Rika and Kirio are my cousins," he divulged.

"Ehhhh?" I exclaimed.

_They're cousins?_

I looked over at Rika-chan and Kirio-kun, tracing ancestral traits...

_It's inconceivable..._

Furthermore, putting two and two together, it all made sense. _Of course he's worried about his relatives too..._

"Ah...I see...So that's why you're here. You're worried about them too."

I must have looked dejected because Claude blinked at me.

"That's not just the reason," Claude shook his head and shrugged, shunting his head (something I learned he does when he's embarrassed). "After you told me the place you'll be investigating, I...initially thought of surprising you. I was thinking of going later this week, but I didn't receive any call or text from you; I was worried. I'd heard from Tenura-san that you went missing, so I immediately took the train towards here."

"Mai was missing?" Bou-san was perplexed and turned to me. "How did that happen?"

I just shrugged.

Kirio-kun glimpsed at Claude and me. "Chiaki-nii...Mai-san is...?"

Claude opened his mouth to reply, but Rika-chan tugged on his shirt and jovially asked, "Chiaki-nii, Mai-nee-chan is your Kaguya-hime?"

There came inexplicable quiescence as Rika-chan's implication and Claude's nod dawned on everyone.

I couldn't tell what my expression was, but I was probably erubescent. Many eyes were invisibly prodding the back of my head.

_What am I supposed to do...?_

I promptly decided to let Claude's presence reign my mind as he conversed with Rika and Kirio.

_He's worried...Looking so sleep-deprived and unusually unkempt...he went to the castle to find me even though he's so busy._

I felt guilty. All the time, I was with Naru, and I hadn't even called Claude.

I felt so bad; I couldn't speak.

Claude and I goggled at each other again, and I saw Claude's eyes alight with understanding.

He closed in and squeezed my hand lovingly, but it saddened me that I couldn't feel his touch.

"Don't reproach yourself, Mai. I understand."

"Claude..." I murmured, suspiring.

Everything was motionless. No one moved and spoke.

It was better that way.

Before we started dating...I had told Claude about everything...

Claude...knew or felt I was with Naru, and he knew what I feel for Naru.

And he understood me...

_And he loves me no matter what._

_And I'm falling for him...slowly...slowly._

I was secretive; I knew that.

But, I didn't want anyone to treat my relationship with Claude as superficial...

That I dated him because I wanted Naru to be jealous.

I started seeing Claude because of Claude himself.

_Not Naru._

_It was never Naru._

I preferred that everyone would be silent but...

Without fail, Bou-san's _'Ahem ahem'_ brought us back to earth once more.

Everyone had heard and seen it; I could speculate that a thousand eyes were prickling the back of my head. It was as though the probable blush plastered to my cheeks magnified 4000 times like that of a fly's vision.

I didn't dare turn.

_Am I not entitled to such privacy and secrecy?_

The _**mental**_ iciness of the base's atmosphere did not go past me; it made me uncomfortable enough to inch closer to Claude.

I didn't care anymore.

Finally, someone spoke, and I was relieved that Yasuhara's kindness graced me.

"Who's the dashing young man, Mai?" Yasuhara came nigh us, smiling affably from ear to ear.

There was the usual hint of mischief in his voice, but I found it harmless.

The savior in silences, he always was.

Becoming confident and before Claude uttered his reply, I smiled and introduced. "This is Claude Miller, Yasu. His Japanese name is Chiaki Murakami."

"And...?" Yasuhara's eyes twinkled meaningfully.

"Mai's my pu━―" Claude tried to save me, but I curtailed him instinctively.

"He's my boyfriend," I revealed before I could register what I was saying.

Yasuhara and Claude stared at me in surprise.

I was probably blushing then. I didn't mean to brag about Claude as though he was something for display. But, Claude's special and important to me; I didn't want to ignore his part in my life by lying about who he really is to me.

That would sound more wrong than not calling him while I was with Naru.

_Besides, I'd been secretive long enough._

It felt as though what I said echoed throughout the castle; silence lingered like a subtle foe.

It also seemed as if everyone's view of me magnified to the point that it was like they saw all my cells' nucleus.

_Now...what?_

I whipped my head to Claude hastily, trying to ignore everything, and persisted. "This is Yasuhara Osamu, one of my co-workers and friends in SPR."

Yasuhara blinked but didn't comment; he just nodded, smiled, and shook Claude's hands amicably.

_Oh Yasu, you're the best!_

My mentally tight chest felt mentally lighter; Yasuhara had the great ability to make me feel like that.

Soon, my best guy friend (ever) engaged Claude into a casual conversation, and I listened in.

"Murakami?" Yasuhara thought carefully. "That's...very familiar...Ah! Are you connected to that famous author?"

Claude chuckled. "No."

"Hmm," Yasuhara thought deeply. "If I'm not mistaken...in school?"

"Which school?" Claude asked.

"T-U."

"Guilty," Claude nodded.

Yasuhara nictitated. "So you were that guy!"

"What guy?" I asked.

"The guy who read the opening ceremony speech last April."

"Eh..."

Yasuhara squinted his eyes at me. "You don't know, do you?"

I pouted. "What? Ah, was Claude very good?"

"I just read the traditional speech, Mai."

"But you were probably charming," I grinned. "Too bad I wasn't there. Not yet, anyway."

Yasuhara cleared his throat and smiled at us. "Besides school, though, I believe I heard your name on the last case..."

My boyfriend shrugged.

"One of the bodies you found last May was my sister's," Claude pointed out neutrally and flatly. Politely, he bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for your help."

Yasuhara nictitated as it dawned upon him. "Ah! I see..."

The shounen detective scratched his head and pointed at me.

"Mai was the one who found them, though. She's the one who did the amazing job."

Claude nodded and beamed at me again. "Yes, she's amazing."

I was probably like a tomato then.

"Ahem, ahem!" Bou-san's voice rang again, and I gulped.

_Uh-oh..._

_I knew everyone else would be cool about it..._

_But not Bou-san._

_Definitely not Bou-san._

The fatherly monk approached us and scrutinized Claude all over, as though measuring my boyfriend up.

_What the━―?_

"So...you're Mai's boyfriend," Bou-san loudly declared, giving me a meaningful glance━―wordlessly relaying, 'I'll have a chat with you later, secretive young lady'―━and nodding with a smile of fake approval.

If Yasuhara wasn't harmless, Bou-san most certainly looked the opposite.

I sighed and warned. "Bou-san, don't you ever start."

It's endearing: Bou-san's fatherly antics.

_But I do have a free will._

Bou-san shrugged and beamed, a corner of his mouth twitching. "I didn't do anything wrong, Ojou-chan."

_You mean, you didn't do anything __**yet**_.

I frowned, hands on hips. "You were just about to."

He shrugged again and lifted a corner of his mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I squinted my eyes at him before soughing.

Just then, I remembered who else were in the room with us, and I rattled on what to say. I stiffened my neck, immobilizing myself so I wouldn't look behind me and lock eyes with Masako, Ayako, John, Lin-san, and Naru.

_But Naru and Lin-san wouldn't care, right?_

My mind was short-circuiting, so I did the most impulsive thing; I grabbed Claude's arm and uttered loudly_._

"Let's go to my room and talk, Claude."

And then I strode out of the base with my boyfriend_._

_..._Leaving everyone (most likely) speechless.

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**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**11:11-12:09 am**

"So Mai-nee-san is Chiaki-nii's girlfriend," Rika-chan chirped cheerfully. "Isn't it wonderful, Kirio-nii?"

"Uh..." Kirio-kun sensed the uneasiness in the base, so he spoke to the housekeeper instead. "T-Tenura-san, is lunch ready? I'm hungry. Rika, let's go eat."

He extended a hand towards his sister, and she held it.

"Okay, Kirio-nii!"

The three castle inhabitants left the base quickly.

And there was seemingly infinite silence.

_..._

_..._

_..._

Then...

"They won't go do _**you-know-what**_, will they, _**Otou-san**_?" Yasuhara prattled loudly to Takigawa.

The monk's frown deepened; he wasn't really in the mood to play along with Yasuhara's name-calling.

"Don't be ridiculous. You know I won't let them."

"But they went off," Yasuhara grinned, glimpsing purposively at Naru. "Off to their own world..."

Naru quirked his eyebrow, but his eyes were twitching in...

Unequivocal jealousy...and anger.

Yasuhara resembled a Cheshire cat as he gushed. "Whoaaa, who would've thought Mai's taken already! She's been quite furtive about it too! Could this be the reason why she always comes in late after her cram school?"

It was a rhetorical question, and nobody else dared to give a piece of their crafty mind.

Yasuhara felt quite loquacious at that moment though.

"Still...I never thought the theory really works..." Yasuhara murmured, still emphatically.

Takigawa ogled at him. "What are you talking about, shounen?"

The monk was getting irritated. He obviously wanted to go to Mai's room and do his fatherly duty, but Yasuhara was conspicuously blocking the door for him.

"Well, you know," Yasuhara lifted his shoulders pseudo-innocently and tilted his head as-a-matter-of-factly. "_**Light-dark theory**_**: **_dark-haired girl gets together with light-haired boy or vice versa. _It's in almost _**every shoujo manga**_, you know."

Takigawa blinked and placed his chin on his clenched hand.

"Indeed..." Takigawa ruminated and then scrunched his eyes at Yasuhara suspiciously. "Wait━―_**You **_read shoujo mangas?"

Takigawa shuddered as Yasuhara's wicked batting of eyelashes magnified on the latter's glasses. "Of course. I read every genre of manga~*heart streams*"

Takigawa stared. "You're really creepy, shounen detective."

Yasuhara smirked in victory.

"_**John**_," Naru's voice cut through like a blizzard and the 'immature duo' swallowed at the narcissist's electrifying glare. "Continue where Yasuhara left off."

"Y-yes, Shibuya-san..." The young priest replied swiftly.

Naru's avoidance to the issue of Mai's boyfriend was not beyond them. The diversion to their village discoveries was too obvious. There was a big blow, alright, and the narcissist was being mendacious to himself; Naru's restrained truculence was quite noticeable.

_Poor Narcissist..._The monk was unbelievably touched.

_I guess...that must have hurt. _Yasuhara thought sympathetically.

Ayako pursed her lips. _Although there's nothing wrong with Mai's secrecy, I can't help but feel sorry for him..._

Masako narrowed her eyes, covering her mouth with a kimono sleeve again. _I should be happy...But why can't I bring myself to...?_

John, on the other hand, thought differently. _I'm happy for Mai-san..._

Last but not the least, with a thoughtful look at the feigning narcissist, the Chinese man spoke to his shikis.

_Go protect...and eavesdrop on Taniyama-san..._

It seemed like everyone else was on track of the situation.

But, Naru disregarded their presence for a moment and massaged his temples. He was becoming irrational; his seat of aggression was trying to take over.

_Now's not the time. _Naru gritted his teeth and called impatiently, "Brown-san, continue."

"H-hai," John winced and started his share of the tale. "W-when Yasuhara-san and I came into, we were encircled by shrine priestesses, and they chanted a similar incantation Ayako-san used before..."

Everyone just stared blankly at John at first; their brains' information loading process was slower than usual.

"Um...sorry, John, but...what was that again?" Takigawa questioned, scratching his head. "Can you say it again?"

John nodded and repeated what he said; he knew that everyone was out of it.

Finally sheered, Ayako asked in consternation. "They did a purification ritual on you two? Why?"

"Hai," John affirmed. "When they finished their ritual, their leader told us that it was for certainty. She said that every time someone from the castle comes to the village to buy food or other supplies, something ominous always comes loose and people go missing."

Takigawa blinked, also attention-grabbed. "How did she know you're from the castle? Didn't the disappearances stop when the servants inhabited the castle?"

"We wondered about how she knew too, but she didn't tell us," Yasuhara answered. "Apparently, on the other hand, the disappearances didn't stop; they just became less frequent. The priestess told us that people still went missing, but they weren't reported. It would harm the tourism in the village, especially when the media caught on with the news and eventually made it ubiquitous."

"That's not very different from Oshino village where Takigawa-san and I visited," Masako commented.

"Is there anything else, Brown-san?" Naru inquired, uninterestedly.

"Yes," John concurred. "The leader also told us that they had tried purifying numerous times. But, the spirits in the castle won't even come near for purification. Although they felt the attempts of the spirits, the latter were always tugged back out of the purification's reach."

"That's the same feeling I get from them," Masako informed. "The spirits...want to get out, but they're trapped. Later on, the desire to break free vanishes, as though their minds changed abruptly."

Takigawa frowned. "Did she say some ghost was controlling them?"

John shook his head. "The priestess...circulated that it was a nine-tailed fox god who spirited away those who died. But, she didn't really know what was controlling the spirits; she only supplied _**kamikakushi**_ so that the people would protect themselves with wards and spells or god worshipping. However, she surmised that a higher power is in charge of everything. If it's a strong evil spirit or another unruly god, she couldn't tell."

"It's like...Okobu-sama, isn't it?" Ayako shivered in recollection. "And somehow like Urado..."

"It...feels more insidious that those previous cases, though," John said morosely.

Naru turned to Masako. "And on your side, Hara-san?"

Masako continued covering her mouth with her kimono sleeves, as per usual, and said in a flat, business-like tone, "A worker in a soba shop told us that there's a _**shinigami**_ in the village. One time, when the worker delivered soba to a regular customer, he saw━―through an open window of the house he's giving his delivery━―a young woman standing at the foot of the bed. Soon after, the person lying on the bed died, and the young woman vanished. We've interviewed other witnesses too, and their descriptions of the shinigami vary among one another's accounts."

"The targets at Oshino are usually old people," Takigawa elucidated. "The culprits weren't as shady too; by the soba boy and other witnesses' narration, it seems like it doesn't matter if anyone sees the 'shinigami.' Apparently, those who are bedridden die at home. While, those who weren't bedridden go missing."

"A shinigami, huh," Ayako frowned. "It's possible that the one pretending to be a shinigami is one of those dolls, right?"

Takigawa shrugged. "I'd thought of that too. But if it's them, wouldn't the controller have a hard time in such distance? So, I was thinking that maybe someone was possessed and killed the oldies. But then, the deaths were passed off as brought by natural causes."

Masako turned to Naru suggestively. "The priestess John met might be right; a higher power could be behind all of this."

"What was the cause of the deaths of the bedridden old people?" Naru queried.

"It's asphyxia."

Naru narrowed his eyes. "I see."

"You already have an idea of what we're up against?" Ayako nictitated.

"There are still a lot of information required," Naru explained. "However, I could see the connection now."

"Is it a ghost, boss?" Yasuhara asked. "The one behind all of this?"

"I see it as unlikely, but they could be accomplices."

"Then, it's really human?" Takigawa was perplexed.

"Or is it like Okobu-sama? The ghosts are like made into shikis, right? Only Lin termed it as _Zhi Ren_..." Ayako asked.

"Zhi Ren?" Yasuhara, John, and Takigawa asked in unison.

"I'll tell you later," Ayako promised.

"The presence of the hidden spirits and moving dolls could not be eliminated from this case," Naru explicated. "We will consider theories regarding both sides."

"S-so you mean...?" Takigawa was perplexed.

"We will set up a barrier and start exorcisms. You, Brown-san, and Matsuzaki-san will be in charge of that. Yasuhara will interview the servants in the base in order to find out who from the servants always go to the villages. After the exorcisms and Yasuhara's interview, Lin and I will start an autosuggestion with the people in this castle. Hara-san, can you still not determine where the spirits are?"

Masako shook her head. "It's still the same. Their presence is warped in this castle. I could feel them somewhere and yet not feel them at the same time. Someone..._**something**_ is hindering me from reaching them, but there are no dark feelings...I...could feel a strong desire though...two different strong desires...But they're gone before I could point what they are and from whom. There are no lingering bitter emotions...and the willingness to die is evident."

Naru just inclined his head. "You will accompany Matsuzaki-san and the others during the exorcisms. Don't let one another out of your sight."

"What about Mai, boss?" Yasuhara wondered aloud, and Takigawa nudged him on the side.

"You shouldn't ask that, shounen!" Takigawa whispered, with an unnerving glance at Naru.

Everyone was refreshed of Mai's secrecy once more and sweat-dropped as they waited for the narcissist's reply.

Naru, to their surprise, just sighed. "While Yasuhara interrogates the servants and Lin observes the recordings and monitors, Mai and I will investigate the seventh floor."

"Why with Mai? Why the seventh floor?" Yasuhara mischievously insisted.

Emotionless and unaffected, Naru explained, "We found a hidden hallway in one of the rooms on the seventh floor. We've marked the room, and we're the only people who could tell if our marks are intact and in the same place or not."

Yasuhara's eyebrow went up and down knowingly as he glanced at Takigawa. _It's an ambush!_

As though the gesture made sense to him, the monk jounced his head and also thought to himself. _It's an ambush!_

Frowning unsatisfactorily, Masako volunteered. "I can help you and Mai, Kazuya-kun."

Ayako narrowed her eyes. _This girl...still as cheeky as ever!_

"Masako, you can't do that━―" Ayako whispered, trying to convince, but the medium ignored her.

"I'm good with treasure hunting," Masako confessed to their astonishment; she was blushing slightly yet very determined.

"Hara-san will accompany Matsuzaki-san and the others," Naru said with finality, eye-to-eye with Masako. "With how Mai marked the room we discovered, Hara-san's kimono will just get soiled."

Masako turned beet red; from anger or embarrassment, no one dared to know.

"Ano..." Everyone's attention turned to John.

"Well..." John scratched his head hesitantly. "There's one thing I forgot to say...About the castle, I noticed that there are seven towers overall..."

Everyone's thoughts were detracted once more.

"There are two unknown towers?" Takigawa blinked. "I didn't notice that..."

"Hai...Yasuhara-san and I saw them from Yamanaka-ko village."

Naru was pensive. "Mai and I have already discovered a hidden tower."

"That's fast!" Ayako observed.

"Where, Naru-bou?" Takigawa asked.

Naru shrugged. "There was nothing helpful. But, the undiscovered one might be. However, with the specific tasks for today, we'll forgo looking for the last hidden tower today. If you found any secret passageway, make sure to mark the place. Do not go off alone. We'll explore the castle again tomorrow."

Everyone nodded except Lin who was busy with the recordings and monitors.

"Shibuya-san, also..." John drawled. "About the dolls or the souls in dolls...Can't it be distant mental influence by a human or another ghost?"

"You mean, PK-LT, John?" Takigawa asked. "Or telepathy?"

"W-well, I think telepathy was used to manipulate the servants' dreams and _**kamaitachi **_was used to cut the servants' skins," John speculated. "And...PK-MT or PK-ST might have been used to control the dolls...?"

"How can telepathy be used to manipulate dreams, John?" Ayako questioned, puzzled. "Isn't telepathy merely wordless communication?"

"Umm...There are actually two ways of transmission in telepathy..." John informed. "One is by transmission of thoughts, and the other is by transmission of images."

Yasuhara cogitated. "So the dreams were probably fabricated and transmitted as images through telepathy."

John jounced his head. "Hai."

Naru had his chin on his hand in a thinking pose. "I had the same thoughts. However, PK is impossible."

"How come, Naru-bou?" The monk said quizzically.

"PK is a sloppy activity. No matter how the agent tries to move still targets fluidly, the movements of their targets will always be rigid and rough."

"So...using PK-ST to a doll would cause unstable movements? Why can't it be stable and smooth?"

"For movement of a still object to be fluid, the PK user must not just extend himself but also synchronize with the object. However, a mind and a soul couldn't be in two places at once. Thereby, in order to synchronize with any external object, the PK user might hypothetically have to undergo soul transference; however, he or she might not be able to return from his or her original body."

Ayako and Masako gasped.

Everyone, except Lin, stared at Naru in utmost shock.

"The servants can't all be PK users attempting to use a synchronized PK consciously or unconsciously on a doll," Naru continued. "Nor would they all possess PK and do the same thing, harming themselves in the process. I see no sensible purpose for them to do so. But, if their souls were forced to transfer into the dolls and remain there, that would be something else."

John was dawned with apprehension. "Is that what you have in mind, Shibuya-san?"

"It is something doable, especially when a higher power is at work," Naru explained. "Therefore, it's the highest possibility. The movements of those who possessed the dolls might not be manipulated; Hara-san felt the ghosts' willingness herself. Rather than manipulation, the servants' souls must have been convinced to follow for a monolithic, relevantly self-perceived cause."

"But they know who killed them, right? That it's the one convincing them to follow?" Ayako inquired.

"Most have been probably killed during a nightmare," Naru pointed out. "Those who were bedridden might have been attacked during their sleep too. Whilst, those who went missing might have not even seen who abducted them. We will have to assume, then, that everyone of them died in their dreams. Hence, the representation of their murderer are fireflies, so they would see fireflies as the culprit. Consequently, the real culprit is quite at an advantage because the victims didn't see his or her real corporeal form during their deaths."

Everyone was quiet for moment, but they were all cogitating.

"What...about PK-LT?" Takiagawa inquired. "Although ghost in dolls would count as nonliving targets, right?"

"There has never been PK experiments with ghosts as agents or targets," Naru smirked, amused. "And human poltergeist phenomena are mostly characterized by PK-MT or PK-ST. PK-LT has always been linked with physiological movements rather than living body movements. From the heart rate, blood molecules, and to capillary action in plants, PK-LT has been discovered to have internal effects rather than external."

"So, it's not literally movement of living bodies?" Ayako asked.

"There have been rare cases in which it happened otherwise," Naru glanced blankly at Lin. "But not much studies have been conducted, and conclusions are still unmade. Still, as I said, movements induced would be rigid and sloppy. The agent might throw someone across the room, but that's the end of it: a mere control of limited movement but not a total influence of the mind."

Ayako soughed. "This case is becoming infuriatingly confusing!"

John smiled. "Mai-san would have said the same thing."

There was complete silence, and John fidgeted at the wordless stares from most of the others who obviously thought, _**'Don't mention Mai ever again, for now!'**_

To their extreme alleviation, the narcissist just shrugged and suspired. "All the information we have are making us ambivalent. Hence, we will think of the culprit as either a human, a ghost, a god, or a demon. That's why I've ordered you to do exorcisms while Yasuhara will interview the inhabitants. We'll approach this case as punctiliously as possible, and we will notice, soon after our evaluation, which party has more potential of being the mastermind in this castle."

"And if it's not a ghost, boss?" Yasuhara asked. "And not a human?"

"We will close the case with necessary instructions on what the current inhabitants should do," Naru responded. "As I said before, I don't deal with monsters or gods; unless, I have a strong personal reason to."

Everyone, except Lin, nodded, remembering the Urado and Okobu-sama cases again.

Naru straightened up, somehow irritated, and domineeringly said, "The discussion is over. Go do your respective tasks. Slacking will only produce deficient results. No one will eat lunch until everyone has finished everything they were ordered to do."

Wordlessly and acrimoniously, the narcissist strode off the base.

Ayako growled and was about to follow (and probably smack) the narcissist if Takigawa, John, and Yasuhara didn't stop her.

"That slave-driving narcissist!" Ayako shrieked.

"Now, now, _**Obaa-san**_," Takigawa assured and then flinched at Ayako's glare. "W-well, you're missing the point, you know."

"What point, old man?"

Takigawa's nerve popped. "You━―!"

Yasuhara butt in, unaffected. "Well, _**Obaa-san**_. Boss expected you four to place barriers and do exorcisms, right?"

"So?" Ayako scowled.

"Well...how long do you think it will take all of you to do it for the whole castle?"

Ayako snarled. "It would take long! That's why I'm angry, four eyes!"

"Yes," Yasuhara grinned. "It'll take long. That's why~"

"Hah?" Ayako was bemused.

John, to their fascination, responded. "It'll take us a long time to exorcise the castle, so...Shibuya-san won't be disturbed while he and Mai-san investigate the 7th floor."

Ayako gawked, Masako glared, Takigawa frowned, and Yasuhara smirked at John who sweat-dropped at all the reactions directed to him.

It seemed to them that the cocky narcissist was planning a _**perfect ambush**_ indeed.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY AS THEIR DISCUSSION; 11:40 am-12:11 pm**

Smiling, Claude sat on the white knotted chair across me.

"Were you surprised?"

I pouted. "Are you kidding me? I'm more than surprised; I'm stunned!"

We just came to my room after eating an early lunch. The servants seemed to be acquainted with Claude very well, and he told me that he lived with them in the original Kawabuki household at some point in time.

Claude's smile widened, and he nodded. "That's good, then."

I sighed. "You know it's dangerous here, Claude."

"You were the one in danger, so I was very worried," Claude loured. "You didn't call for two days straight━―which wasn't like you."

"That's..." I bit my lip guiltily, albeit still physically unfeeling.

_I'm glad he's here, but...I don't want him to get into trouble or anything._

Claude soughed and feigned an upset expression. "I was sacked from your memory, huh? Was it my cousin hitting on you? Or was it your boss?"

I gawked at him.

"It's not like that!" I defended and then sighed again. "Well...I...got trapped somewhere and forgot to bring my phone so..."

_No...That's not the complete truth. Claude was partially right; I sacked him from my memory while I was with Naru._

Claude cracked a smile. "I was teasing you. Don't mind that."

I squinted my eyes at him. "Kazune-sensei has been teaching you various things about teasing girls, huh. How many did you test-drive?"

Kazune-sensei's my English teacher at my current school, Haitateki International University━―specifically its high school campus. He was Claude's deceased sister's, Liza's, boyfriend. He'd helped me on the previous case at my current school...and let's just say he's quite playful around everyone.

Claude blinked at me, and he looked quite happy at my suspicion. "There are no other girls, Mai. Just you."

I probably blushed, but I couldn't tell; I couldn't feel my probably heating cheeks. My heart was flying in Nirvana, but something gnawed on the fringes of it at the same time.

_My heart has always been loyal to Naru. But, now that it has someone else to be loyal with, its stuck at crossroads._

_I understand that it's hard to transfer two years of loyalty with Naru to Claude. _

_But, I chose to be with Claude._

_I want to be with Claude._

_So, rather than transferring my loyalty with Naru to Claude, I'm going to build the same level of loyalty with Claude._

_Yes, that's right._

_I must be honest with Claude._

I bowed, ashamed, and shook my head. "I...I'm sorry, Claude."

Claude frowned and inquired gently, "There you go again with your sudden apologies...What is it this time?"

"I...forgot about you; you were right," I admitted. "I was with _**him**_ all the time, and I...forgot about you. I'm such a terrible girlfriend; you must hate me now."

Claude stared at me solemnly before nodding and rolling his eyes. "Indeed, you're a terrible girlfriend."

I perked up apologetically. "Sorry, I don't know how I━―"

"But," Claude intervened and beamed in his helpless yet handsome manner. "But I understand, Mai. I'm not forcing you to forget your boss so easily and only think of me, although I want you to do that at some point. Still, unlike him, you've been with me for only almost two months. I know it will take time for me to occupy your mind entirely."

I slowly stood up from my seat and approached him, standing beside where he sat.

"You mean heart," I smiled slightly.

He turned his body towards me and looked up warmly. "Heart is a representation for the limbic system and autonomic nervous system, which are the main reservoir of emotions in the brain."

I pouted. "You and your geeky-ness."

"That's one of the things that enchanted you, though," he smirked, shrugged, and then relented by adding, "And I guess that applies to your boss too."

I shook my head and frowned. "I'm impressed, but that's not the reason I fall in love with someone. And no, I don't know the reasons I fall in love with anyone. But, one's intelligence has never been a guy-standard for me."

Claude was enrolled in Tokyo University━―the school which I told Obaa-san I will get into in return for her permission to continue the investigation in my school's hauntings last May. He's currently studying Philosophy as a Pre-Law degree; it seemed like what happened to his sister was an inspiration to him.

_Claude loves learning various things, and his devotion is very awe-inspiring._

With Claude's wellspring of knowledge and wisdom, he could be a great doctor, a detective, a lawyer, a CEO of a great corporation, etc.

_Just like Naru...and unlike me._

And whatever he'd choose, I wanted to be there to support him.

_On the other hand..._

I tugged on the sleeve of his right arm which was perched on the surface of the tea table. Worry etched my features.

"You look tired; the area under your eyes are slightly dark."

Claude averted his eyes briskly, although I'd seen what he wanted to hide already. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

I frowned and tugged again on his sleeve in persuasion. "Tell me."

He sighed and gazed at me with a slight smile.

"There's no escaping you, is there?"

I smirked. "There isn't."

Claude hesitated and then shrugged. "Just cram school work, that's all. I had to substitute for four classes before I could go here. There were some T-U mock court trials I had to participate too."

I gazed guiltily.

_Claude...squeezed me in despite how important his work and career _a_re to him... He...despite how hectic...still came to the castle because he's worried about me._

_And on top of that, what was I doing?_

_I forgot about him and didn't call him when I got the chance._

"I'm sorry," I said sincerely.

Claude shook his head. "It's my decision. It's what I think is right."

_Am I doing the right thing?_

So many times, I'd asked that to myself.

What I was doing to Claude wasn't only inequality but also inequity.

Claude tugged my sleeve, and I blinked at him.

"You looked like you were silently lashing on yourself again," Claude said worriedly. "It's not your fault, Mai; stop reproaching yourself."

_But it is_━―I wanted to tell him that.

Yet, Claude had a way of making me feel less self-destructive and accept my weaknesses; he always made me feel good about myself.

"Let's change topics, shall we?" He suggested, and I conceded. "You wanted to ask me something, right?"

"Yeah..." I lifted a corner of my mouth. "I'd never thought you, Kirio-kun, and Rika-chan are cousins. So, how are you related to them?"

"My mother was adopted by the Kawabuki family," Claude explicated.

"If that's the case...shouldn't your mother own some kind of inheritance from the Wakkako clan? Like this castle, for example?"

_If that happened, I would have been working with Claude instead._

Claude shook his head, his blonde hair swaying pulchritudinously. "It was already agreed upon that my uncle, as belonging to the bloodline, will inherit the heirlooms of the Wakkako-clan. My mother got some shares and businesses from the Kawabuki household, though; my grandmother made sure of that━as you know how scrupulous she is."

I smiled in comprehension. "I see..."

_Claude's grandmother...how long has it been since I last saw her?_

I scavenged the recesses of my memory for the day I met Claude after my school's case.

_Ah..._

_I was wrong._

_Between Naru and I...?_

_Something __**did**__ change._

And, the events of that day was the catalyst which altered my relationship with Naru.

* * *

**FLASHBACK~**

Cross-legged on a zaisu at one of the VIP rooms of a traditional Japanese restaurant, I asked. "Obaa-san, who are we waiting for?"

It was three days after we finished the investigation in my school. Naru and the others had gone back to Shibuya yesterday, and I'd started my work at SPR headquarters again earlier that day. Although, the narcissist made me go home early because he and Lin would be meeting his parents; it was only yesterday that he found out that they hadn't gone home to England yet.

_Meeting Naru's parents..._I blushed. _It's not like I'm allowed to do that so freely, right?_

And so, Obaa-san got my time as she'd initially wanted that day. She forced me to wear an orange kimono and doll up for some 'special occasion.'

"We'll be meeting a friend of mine and her grandson," Obaa-san, in a plain lavender kimono, replied tersely.

"And...we're meeting them because...?" I asked suspiciously, squinting my eyes at her as I sipped my glass of water.

Obaa-san always had schemes in her sleeves.

"It's your marriage meeting."

I choked and spluttered.

"Wha-WHAT?" I exclaimed and gawked at her in great astonishment.

Obaa-san glared, and I cowered slightly. "Lower your voice, Maika."

"But━―wha━―! I thought you were cheering me on Naru!" I hissed at her in a lower voice.

Obaa-san just shrugged saucily. "I didn't say such a thing."

I gaped at her and gestured wildly. "W-what about that _**jade ring thing**_? You told me I'll have _**successful love**_, right? What's the use of making me believe in such a thing when you're━―?"

"That was mere superstition, Maika," Obaa-san grimaced and then shrugged airily. "Besides, I only said that you'll have _**'successful love.'**_ I didn't specify _**with whom your love will be successful.**_"

I gaped at her. But, I closed my mouth and pondered about what she said.

...Because, after all, she just told me a truth. I was only so superstitious as to believe superstitions as true all the time.

"F-fine, you have a point," I pursed my lips and ranted on in determination. "But still, it doesn't mean I'll meet this friend of yours and her grandson. It's something against my will, Obaa-san, and you've often told me to be assertive. So, I'm going to do that right now!"

I started to stand, but Obaa-san held me.

"Leave and I will make your resignation official in that SPR business," Obaa-san said firmly.

I stared at her in shock. "Wha━―?"

"I mean it, Maika," she said grimly. "Leave and you'll never work with your beloved ever again."

"Wha━―But━―That's unfair!" I defended.

_How can a grandmother be like this? How can one blackmail their own granddaughter?_

Obaa-san shrugged again but quoted wittily, "All's fair in love and war."

I was literally DOOMED then...

Because Obaa-san never retracted on her words.

I sat back down on my seat in defeat. Truly hurt, I looked at her. "Why? How can you force me like this?"

As though tired, Obaa-san sighed and gazed at me. "Do you think you can limit your life to chasing one man until you die? That kind of love is brave, strong, pure, and true indeed. But, a person in love doesn't have to be selfless all the time. Although I would like to cheer you on with the progress you have with that reclusive boy, I could not stand the fact that you're too immersed with him to care about yourself or the world. Maika, even if you love the boy, he should not stand in the way of your life."

"He's not━―" I refuted.

"He is," Obaa-san loured at me. "Why did you have that deal with me a few days ago? It wasn't because you want to go to the best university that you decided that. Why are you going fervently to cram school right now just so you can best your mock college entrance exams? It's because you don't want to stop working in that place and eventually stop seeing that boy. Can you understand what I mean? Your life is revolving around that boy."

I just bit my lip.

Because I knew...Obaa-san had spoken the truest truth there is.

_Well...the partial truth...I do love the work I do in SPR, and it's true that I don't want to stop seeing Naru. But, the others too...Bou-san, Ayako, Yasuhara, John, Masako, Lin-san, and Madoka...I don't want to stop seeing them too._

"That is why I've arranged this marriage meeting," Obaa-san concluded. "There are other boys, Maika. If your love is strong, meeting other boys won't weaken it. You should not isolate and reserve yourself for one man who doesn't seem to care. Besides, there's nothing wrong if your heart wanders; it would mean your heart will be full of people who had enriched your life at the end."

I bit my lip. "I...know. I know that...but..."

_I don't know. I still don't really know._

_My feelings for Naru just wouldn't end._

_It just won't._

Obaa-san's eyes softened, and she peered at me with understanding.

"There are some things you couldn't force, but I only want you to think for yourself. Broaden your horizon, Maika. Be more self-aware of your capabilities and make use of them. Remember: there isn't just a paranormal life in this world; there's also an ordinary one."

I bit my lip.

_I...am always escaping reality. I'm always dreaming, always idealistic._

I always didn't know when to stop believing.

I had always hoped even though anticipation had always brought me disappointment.

That was always my weakness, and I still hadn't quelled it. I would always saunter back to the same cycle...

Again and again.

_How can I change myself?_

_How can I...broaden my horizon?_

"Obaa-san..." I started slowly and looked up pensively. "If...I broaden my horizon...If I meet your friend's grandson or somebody else you have in store for me...Do you think...I might fall in love again? That I'll stop loving Naru...and start loving somebody else?"

It was straightforward, but I found out something at that moment.

_**My heart was scared**_.

It had grown so attached to Naru.

It was horrified to meet somebody else, to be contradicted by a reality that somebody better than Naru exists...that I would fall in love with that person.

It had made my feelings for Naru a safety blanket...a fixed emotion secluded and insurmountable even by climbing a wall of sorts.

Obaa-san didn't smile, but she lifted a corner of her mouth and replied. "That...is something I have no control of, Maika. This meeting, for instance, has a consequence I have yet to know. However, I could assure you that if Kazuya is really the person you'd want to be with for eternity, meeting somebody else wouldn't graze your fidelity. I am offering you a test and opportunity for self-awareness; it is your choice to take it or not."

I nodded.

_Didn't I just recently become confident that I love Naru and not Gene?_

_Didn't I just recently acknowledge that my love for Naru is true?_

_Therefore, it wouldn't hurt, right?_

_If I really love Naru, whoever I'll meet, I won't waver, right?_

I tightened my lips in a thin line.

_That's right! I accept the challenge!_

At that instance, the shoji door to the VIP room slid open, and an elderly woman with a (not to be rude) skunk-colored hair entered.

I was very prepared to face the challenge then...

Until I saw a fair-haired guy who followed suit.

And heard the guy say, "Stalker!"

...Consequently making me sidestep mentally and think that I would gladly have my safety blanket instead.

* * *

**FLASHBACK FLASHBACK~**

Luckily, Claude's grandmother didn't hear him. He'd mumbled it, but my ears were always amazing since birth.

I was certain Obaa-san heard him too, but she pretended she didn't by sipping her own glass of water.

As fast as his disbelief appeared, it also swiftly disappeared. His expression was replaced with indifference. Not really wanting to be caught staring at his face, I noticed a black ribbon on the collar of his white shirt.

_A sign of mourning..._

That's right...It's Liza's funeral that day. I was at school, so I wasn't able to attend. But, Kazune-sensei did...probably...since he was absent.

The two newcomers sat across Obaa-san and me. Claude's grandmother was wearing a black kimono with pink lotus blossoms. She looked vibrant, her wrinkles complementing instead of contrasting her features.

"How are you doing, Rinna?" Claude's grandmother asked Obaa-san but fixed me a satisfied gaze.

I eyed Claude inquisitively for his wordless reaction to it, and our eyes met. There...was something different about him...

_Does he know...?_

_What was his reaction when his sister was found?_

"I'm faring well, Sumire," Obaa-san replied.

Sumire-san just nodded and then smiled interestedly at me. "So...you're Rinna's granddaughter? I've heard about you! Too bad I wasn't there at your Spring party. I had to go to Hokkaido for some urgent business."

"H-Hai," I bowed in respect and smiled sincerely. "I'm pleased to meet you..."

I hesitated, and Sumire-san laughed good-naturedly, waving her hand.

_She looks so outgoing._

"Just call me Sumire or Baba," she said and shrugged. "Whatever works."

"S-Sumire-san, then..." I bowed shyly.

_Baba is just...so informal...and it's the first time I'm meeting her..._

Sumire-san turned to Obaa-san. "Seems like you've been quite uptight with her."

"I only do what's best," Obaa-san lifted a corner of her mouth━―to which I pouted.

_Blackmailing me is doing the best? Honestly!_

I harrumphed and looked the other way.

Still pouting, I locked eyes with Claude and saw him turn away, covering his mouth...and snickering?

_WHAT THE━―?_

"It's not surprising, though," Sumire-san commented, and, as though she only noticed Claude beside her, she turned back to me. "Ahh, I forgot. Forgive me, dear. This is my grandson: Chiaki Murakami~"

Claude uncovered his mouth and looked at me emotionlessly before inclining his head.

_Chiaki...? That's his Japanese name huh..._

Obaa-san also inclined her head and said, "You have quite a fine boy."

Obaa-san motioned at me with her corner-of-the-eyes stare.

I bowed politely in return. "I'm Maika Kagami. Nice to meet you, Murakami-san."

_And don't call me 'stalker' ever again..._

We stared at each other, narrowing our eyes. I somehow wished I have telepathy to get my point across very well.

Sumire-san blinked at us and grinned, clapping her hands. "Ara~Both of you knew each other already?"

Claude shrugged and looked away. "She just looked familiar."

_Familiar, my arse! We met a few times last week!_

But, two could play the game of pretense, of course.

I looked away too, muttering. "Indeed, Murakami-san looked quite familiar...like some cross-dresser I know..."

He glared at me, and I hid my smirk by imitating Masako's reflex.

"Well, that's great to hear," Sumire-san said and frowned at Claude. "At least, you found a girl that's familiar! Why, ever since a child, this unreasonable boy has hated girls, except some of those blood-related to him. It's a wonder that a handsome young brat could be so uninteresting! This boy's love life is quite hopeless with how he treats the female species!"

I stared, bewildered. _He...hates girls? I didn't know it was that extreme..._

I pursed my lips. _Not only sister complex, huh._

Then, Sumire-san leaned nearer to me and whispered. "Although, it's great that his natural don't-stick-to-me aura shoos out competition. So, you have little to worry about, dear."

I didn't know what to say. It's not the first time that I'd been paired to boys involuntarily; the little time I'd stayed at an orphanage, I was already 'fated' to someone although I knew it's ridiculous. So, I decided to stare at the landscape painting behind Sumire-san.

_Better not to keep any hopes up._

"It's not unreasonable, Baba," Claude defended, his deep voice finally heard once more. "I can enumerate a lot of reasons for my hatred━―show the variables and degree of correlation━―and there won't be an end to it."

Sumire-san sighed and waved to Claude while saying to us, "See what I told you? This is how he uses his grand intelligence against me. He definitely needs a cure."

Sumire-san winked at me. "So, how about it, Rinna's granddaughter? Are you up to the job?"

I blinked, blushing. _What the━―? That's too fast!_

Claude, paling, retorted scornfully. "Baba, enough of this no━―!"

"Oh shut up, you insolent brat," Sumire-san spat to my surprise, and she turned to me once again, now sweetly. "There's a lot of work to do, but I bet you can do it, dear."

I opened and closed my mouth, dumbfounded.

_How can she expect so much from me?_

I turned to Obaa-san for help, but she just pretentiously sipped her glass of━―

_Wait a minute! How did she get a refill already?_

_The conniving old lady!_

I bit my lip.

_Honestly..._

_What am I supposed to say...?_

Sumire-san stared at me in anticipation, and Claude pierced me with an intense gaze and shook his head.

_He definitely meant for me to 'say no.'_

_But..._

I bit my lip again.

_But...this is a challenge for myself, right?_

I was intrigued.

I...wanted to prove that my love for Naru is strong even if I'd meet somebody else who's better than him.

I wanted to prove that I would never sway.

I smirked at Claude who looked at me with slightly widened eyes for a moment before narrowing them disagreeably at me.

_Well, sorry to say this, but I guess I'd be a stalker for now..._

But of course, I couldn't tell them that.

_And I'm not literally going to 'stalk.'_

So, I stood up hastily and stammered, feigning embarrassment and urgency. "I-I need to go to the restroom. Please excuse me!"

I kowtowed and hurriedly exited the room.

Unfortunately, I couldn't walk any faster with the kimono Obaa-san coerced me to wear.

_Am I really up to this challenge?_

_Am I not just being pushed around by Obaa-san's tactics once again?_

I sighed. _But then, can I have my druthers?_

_I'll be fooling myself again..._

Entering the restroom, I proceeded to the sinks and splashed water on my face; I made sure that my kimono wouldn't get wet.

I suspired. _What am I doing?_

I looked at myself at the mirror, feeling like Snow White's stepmother again.

"Mirror, mirror, will this confusion ever stop?" I questioned, bored. "Will Obaa-san stop blackmailing me? Will..."

I bit my lip and then exhaled. Gazing at the mirror again, I uttered, "Will...I stop loving Naru and fall in love with somebody else...? Hopefully not another one with personality issues?"

I frowned. _It's...not like I can choose who I'll love...Naru is a proof of that._

I turned away and pat my face dry with a clean paper towel.

_And a huge part of me...still roots for Naru._

_I don't want to stop loving Naru._

_So, how can change of feelings be possible?_

I crumpled the soiled paper towel and tossed it on the bin like a mini-basketball ring. I went out and started to schlepp back to the VIP room.

"You're done?"

I yelped and flinched in fright. I whipped around, a hand to my leaping heart, and saw Claude raising his eyebrow as well as his hands in his pockets.

Flushing, I blurted. "Wha━―Please don't scare me like that!"

Claude shrugged and neared me━―only about a ruler away now. With a nod, he ushered. "Let's go."

I nictitated as he passed by me.

"Ha-hah? What are you━―?"

Claude halted and whizzed his head back to me. "I'm going to take you home. Our grandmothers cheekily left us already."

I gritted my teeth, seething slightly. _H-how can Obaa-san do this to me?_

_I don't even know Claude very much!_

_Really! Old women and their schemes!_

I heard a chuckle, and I looked up at Claude.

He halted his laughs and simpered at me. "What's up with you? Stomping your feet and banging your head in the air..."

I blushed and shot, "D-don't mind me!"

He smiled━―the first one I'd ever since him bear━―and looked at me, as though I was being silly (which might be what I truly looked like at that instance). "You're interestingly weird."

_HAH? Excuse me, was that supposed to be a compliment?_

I sighed and facepalmed. _What am I doing?_

_It's not like it's the first time I was called weird._

"Anyway," Claude got me out of my thoughts. "Are you coming or not?"

I hesitated but then soughed. _I forgot to put my wallet and cellphone in the secret pockets of my kimono..._

_There's no helping it...Not like Obaa-san will answer me anyway...or anybody else...and I definitely can't call anyone from SPR..._

I nodded. "I'm coming. Do you know where my house is?"

Claude shook his head. "Just lead me."

He turned around and started walking away. Pondering behind him, I followed him silently.

Although Claude was repugnant during the first two meetings...it wouldn't hurt to give him the benefit of the doubt.

_Will my heart go fonder...or wander?_

I would never know unless I try.

* * *

**FLASHBACK FLASHBACK~~~**

"Can I listen to your mp3?" I chirped kindly.

"No," Claude replied as he swerved the steering wheel to the right.

"Tch," I pouted.

I was bored. Beyond bored. I never liked awkward moments, so I always wanted to occupy myself with something else.

Somehow, there's nothing else that I could find as boredom killer in Claude's yellow Honda convertible. I stared at the dashboard and wickedly pressed a button.

"Hey!" Claude exclaimed as the hood and windows slowly went down, and the air streamed in.

I beamed mischievously. "I was bored."

Claude loured at me but resumed his gaze to the road immediately with a sigh. "Girls...honestly."

I raised my eyebrow.

_Does he hate girls so much...? It's more like he's having a hard time tolerating..._

I glanced on the sidewalks of the streets, looking at stores and whatnot. Trailing and leaving the sky with an orange tint, the sun was gradually falling down the horizon.

"Do you go to Shibuya often?" I wondered aloud. He seemed quite adept of the place, knowing where to twist and turn.

Claude shrugged. "I go to a university around here."

"Ehhh..."

I would have made a better conversation, but I wasn't in the mood.

_What the hell am I doing?_

As we were passing by a corner of the street, I saw a familiar face.

_Masako..._

She was running to someone...

My eyes broadened, and I perked up in alarm.

_Naru._

My attention caught, I stared at them and saw both of them talking face-to-face...

_And was that tears in Masako's face?_

Just then, Masako cupped Naru's face with both of her hands and tiptoed...

Then kissed him.

My eyes widened and jaw slacked.

I. Could. Not. Take. My. Eyes. Off. Of. Them. In. Shock!

Something clutched my heart into an iron grip, an excruciating pain I couldn't point out the origin of.

_Why...? How...?_

Truth be told, it wasn't that Masako kissed Naru that actually bothered me.

It's the fact that _**he's with her**_ that brought so much pain...freezing me to the spot.

Naru had told me that he would be meeting his parents that afternoon, so he'd said it's better for me to leave early.

He'd told me it's something important.

_But,_ _**he's with Masako.**_

_**Doesn't that just prove that he's a great liar?**_

_Doesn't that just show how __**important**__ Masako is for him, after all, to lie to my face?_

_And to use his parents nonetheles_s?

_What kind of blasphemy or whatnot is that?_

_Or...maybe..._

_Maybe...Masako...and Naru...were meeting Naru's parents?_

The shock of the realization bombarded me.

_Maybe I was wrong, after all..._

_Maybe I should have let go of Naru, after all._

_Maybe I should have moved on, after all._

I continued staring at them desolately. Even when Claude whirled the car to another corner and the sight of them vanished, I still gazed behind me in astonishment.

I was only able to come back to earth when Claude turned my head to the front of the road and said, "You're going to stiffen your neck like that!"

And then I glared at him and saw him blanch at me.

Softening, since he turned really pale and he's still driving, I said. "W-what?"

I looked away, and he did too, to my relief.

He thankfully didn't leave the road in his sight again. But, gently, he shoved a box of tissues in my lap.

"Wha━―?" I nictitated, bewildered.

"You need that," he glanced at me swiftly at the corner of his eyes before returning to the road. "Your tears are freefalling."

I opened and closed my mouth to rebut him.

But, I felt them.

I tasted the cruelty of reality smacking me in the face.

Then, I don't know what made me do it...

But everything just crashed, short-circuited, and broke down inside of me.

_It hurts. _

_It really hurts... This reality..._

_The truth really hurts._

No matter how hard I tried to fight for my love for Naru...

My efforts would always be futile.

Being stubborn wasn't enough.

Trying hard wasn't enough.

_**I would never be enough**_.

So, I bawled.

HARD.

I was a young woman without direction.

_So, why should I continue fighting for something...?_

_It's because I'm selfish...I'm so selfish...that's why it's like this._

_I want Naru to be by my side even though what he feels isn't mutual to mine._

_Am I not just forcing myself to him?_

I buried my face and cried on Claude's lap.

"He━―!" Claude said in alarm, but I didn't have the energy to say something to explain my actions.

_Why...? Although I'd always known it could happen...why does it still hurt so much?_

_Why must it hurt so much?_

I clung to Claude's knees tightly, without a care that he's still driving or that he's an absolute stranger to me.

* * *

**FLASHBACK FLASHBACK~~**

"H-hoi," Claude prodded the back of my head. "We're here. Get off of my lap already."

I didn't know how long I cried, but I felt the puffiness of my eyes.

"Huh?" I perked up and sniffed.

I saw Claude's blushing face, and it was only after a few seconds that I realized where I'd been burying my face unto. Turning crimson myself, I straightened hastily and yelped, "Sorry!"

I bowed my head, and Claude sighed.

"Girls can be very aggressive."

I blinked. "What?"

_Is he picking a fight?_

He raised an eyebrow at me and then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You...were you tired of stalking me, so you begged your grandmother to have a meeting with me?"

"Of course not, you paranoid!" I defended. "First and foremost, I'm not a stalker. Second, I didn't arrange to meet with you! I didn't even know I'll be meeting you and your grandmother."

He looked at me skeptically and then shrugged. "Whatever you say."

He took his car keys and unbuckled his seat belt before going out of his car wordlessly.

_What's he━―?_

I rolled down the window on my side and called. "H-hey! Where are you going?"

He just waved once and continued to saunter towards a gigantic platinum dome. I swished around, unfamiliar with the place I was in.

_Where is this?_

He'd parked the car beside a very long pavement; the platinum dome was on a small grassy hill at the end of it.

It was dusk; the sun had already sunk so low that a blend of indigo and faded blue tinged the horizon.

"That guy...!" I muttered and then grabbed some tissues to wipe my tear-streaked face. "Where did he take me now?"

I was very brazen.

I knew... But I couldn't help it.

I was needy.

Needy of someone who could divert my attention from cruel reality. So, I unbuckled my seat belt and followed Claude; I bunched the hem of my kimono upwards and ran.

_Run, run, run._

_That was my specialty, right?_

_And now, I had to revert to it._

_I need to break away._

_I need to wind up again._

Claude nodded to me once before taking out some keys from his pocket. He picked a key from the assortment he had in his keychain and used it to open the door to the dome.

"W-where is this...?" I inquired.

"It's a planetarium," he replied as he swung the door open.

I blinked. "Planetarium? B-but, how come you have a key?"

Claude smirked. "Because I own this planetarium."

I gaped at him. _Another rich jerk?_

"What are you doing?" He frowned at me, already inside the lobby. "Do you want to miss the chance of free entrance?"

The memory of the night three days ago wrecked the shores of my consciousness.

_And I don't want to remember._

_I want to escape from everything right now._

Claude suspired, came out of the lobby, and schlepped towards me.

"What is it now? Do you want me to drag you in? Or will that make you cry again? Do you have some trauma in a planetarium? Sheesh, all of you girls are so hard to please..."

He loured and scratched his head, looking away.

_Why a planetarium...?_

I blinked.

I realized then; this was his style of comforting someone.

It was quite emotionless, unsentimental.

But, the fact that he was trying...made my heart oscillate a bit.

_He's a nice _person_...just like Liza..._

I smiled slightly and shook my head.

_Even though I'm a stranger..._

"It's not that. It's just...There are no meteor showers, right?"

_Just this time...Just this one time._

Claude blinked at me for a moment and then smiled in amusement, as though I said something ludicrous. "In some maybe. But, our planetarium doesn't have that."

I nodded. "That's good then."

_For once, I don't want to remember...anything about Naru._

_If I could have an amnesia...I want it now._

I entered the planetarium without any other word.

* * *

**FLASHBACK FLASHBACK~~~**

I sat on one of the front seats with Claude and gazed at the gleaming constellations.

It had been a long time since I came to a planetarium; the last one was before my mother died. I could remember her finger pointing to a bright star and her saying to me that it's my father surveying us from afar. She said it with a heart-rending expression, and I knew that it was one of the things she believed in order to cope with bereavement.

_Now...how should I cope with a different heartache?_

_I'm evading reality but..._

_Even without meteor showers, I'm hopeless._

I...couldn't shun Naru at all.

I sighed, and Claude just elevated an eyebrow.

We were very silent ever since we came inside.

I preferred it that way.

_I...wanted some inner peace._

But, my thoughts were always running amok.

I turned to Claude and tried to smile sheepishly. "When I was younger, I...I wished my stars would align with somebody I like."

Claude blinked at me in wonder because of my sudden profession. I blushed and covered my mouth immediately.

"Tha-That was━―!"

_What the hell did I just blurt out?_

_Why did I just tell him about something embarrassing?_

Claude simpered. "So you believe in those kinds of things? Really, astrologers sell well with their deception, especially with girls."

"Wha━―How can you say it's deception?" I demanded, still reddening. "My friend's horoscope did come true!"

"So your friend went out with the guy she liked?" Claude speculated.

"Yeah!" I nodded.

"Hmmm," he drawled. "So your friend was deceived, huh."

"I told you; she wasn't," I pouted. "The prediction came true!"

Claude laughed heartily, and I stared at him as though he went nuts.

"W-what are you snickering about? That's creepy," I frowned.

Claude smiled, and I had to admit that he looked quite different from the perception I had of him last week.

"You believe strongly about things, huh?" Claude said. "Well, believing horoscopes isn't wrong. Belief gives certainty and assurance after all, resulting to less tension and stress. However, fooling oneself for so long isn't a good option too."

"So, what...?" I narrowed my eyes. "If what astrologers say isn't true, how come the predictions are always in the mark?"

Claude shrugged.

"Belief in horoscopes is plain Barnum effect," he quipped as-a-matter-of-factly.

I nictitated. "Bar-what?"

"Barnum effect," he reiterated. "It's the term used when a person believes any general and vague description of his or her self as true. Horoscopes, for example. Your friend believed that her star _**aligned with the person she likes**_ because she related that description to her situation. Horoscopes usually contain what anyone wants to hear, either about themselves or a good possibility. But then, wouldn't that be the same to everyone else who had the same horoscope? Doesn't that make everyone seem to have similar situations? It's quite biased and relative."

I bit my lip. _Hmm...He does have a point..._

"But still...implied or not, vague or not...the prediction came true for my friend."

Claude nodded. "It did; that is, she expected it anyway━―not that expectation made it come true, though. As I said before, horoscope descriptions just give certainty. Your friend might have already seen the signs that the boy she likes returns her feelings, but no one just pointed it out to her."

"That's..." I pondered.

_Michiru did say that the guy she liked texted her everyday...even though it's some school stuff...But still, why her, right? Why not his close friends, right?_

Claude nodded. "Certainty, right? Besides, humans aren't always fallible or infallible. So, of course, some astrologer's predictions do come true━―implied or not."

"Fallible or infallible?"

"Always incorrect or correct."

I pouted. _He's right..._

I stared down at my hands and found the jade ring which Naru and I won at my school's cultural festival.

_Superstitions or horoscopes...I believed them because I wanted them to come true...Because I needed something to tell me that I'm doing the right thing..._

_That it'll lead to success or happiness._

_But it's just an__** illusion**__, after all._

_There's no certainty._

_There's no __**successful love**_.

_I do want to make Naru happy...but..._

_Am I not just trying to make him happy because I have ulterior motives...?_

_Am I not just trying to make Naru happy because I want to feel good about myself?_

_To prove to myself that I want nothing but Naru's happiness as long as I'm beside him...?_

_Doesn't that show that all I really wanted is to be with Naru and not to actually make him happy?_

I felt terrible.

_Masako and Naru...they really suit each other._

I knew, then, that I should raise my white flag.

Claude stared at me incomprehensibly and murmured softly. "That...wasn't the point, was it?"

I gazed at him in wonder. "Hm?"

He suspired and looked at me closely. "It's not about aligning stars with someone that you're worried about; it's some love trouble involving that guy you were staring at while I was driving."

Lifting a corner of my mouth slightly, I stared at him and jounced my head slowly. "Yeah...I guess you can say it's typical and pathetic of us girls to always be wrapped up with love troubles, right?"

He shrugged again. "It is...but...I owe you my ears."

I blinked in wonder. "What do you mean?"

He looked at me gratefully. "You found my sister, right?"

_Ah..._

I shook my head. "I'm not asking for anything because of that. You don't owe me anything."

Claude sighed and frowned. "Fine. It's with my _**free will**_ that I'm going to listen to your boy woes."

I laughed, a little lighter and better. "What's up with that? You're quite an outgoing and reliable guy, huh?"

He mantled and looked away. "Whatever."

_Ah...he's shy. How cute._

I couldn't help remembering the dream I had wherein he was still eight years younger. I noticed what didn't change then.

I smiled sadly and ogled at the stars once more.

I never talked to strangers so readily about my life...but sometimes, talking to someone about something I would never usually divulge even to my loved ones...could be very heart-lightening.

"That guy you saw...is my boss," I disclosed. "I...love him for two years now."

"An unrequited love, huh?" He didn't smirk.

I nodded. "He knows what I feel for him, though, and he irritatingly teases me about it. However, I love it. I love all the maddening sides of him."

Claude was silent, so I just babbled on.

"That girl with him...Masako...is one of the irregulars in our office. She...loves my boss too. Unlike her, though, I couldn't get the courage to assert what I want and attain it. She can be quite aggressive, but that's cute of her. I couldn't help but be envious of her. So, I guess, it wasn't surprising..."

Tears were threatening to come out again.

"It shouldn't be surprising..." I sniffed, trying to hold them back. "I mean, why does Naru let her go out with him all the time? Why won't he say no even though he knew that Masako's threats were empty? Why...when Naru told me he'd be meeting his parents...Why did I see him with Masako instead?"

Tears fell without restraint. I couldn't hold them, so I tried to rub my eyes off of them.

But they wouldn't stop.

I looked up at the stars to keep everything at bay; my vision clouded.

"It hurts but...I...Why can't I just give up?"

_It's obvious, of course._

_Who would want their efforts to go to waste?_

I recalled every memory I had with Naru...All the chances I'd taken.

_Why...am I so easy to topple?_

_Why...is my resolve so easily beaten by circumstances?_

_What if...this is all just a test?_

_Just three days ago, I'd decided to do something and yet now...why am I backing away again?_

_How can I just give up so easily like this?_

_This isn't me!_

I slapped my face with both hands.

"Ow!"

"Hey! What are you━―?" Claude hollered, astounded.

"This isn't good. I have to be resilient!" I shook my head and shook my fists in the air.

He surveyed me with confusion. "Hah?"

_That's right. Naru must have a reason right? I shouldn't go into conclusions readily, right? And besides...if my conclusion is correct..._

_It's not like Naru didn't have a choice. _

_If he chose Masako, shouldn't I be happy for him? Shouldn't I congratulate them for working things between them smoothly?_

_Who am I to dictate who Naru should choose and like and what Naru should do?_

_I'm not a sore loser!_

"I must be resilient," I told Claude. "I've always been, anyway."

Claude narrowed his eyes. "Will resilience even work? You'll just go in circles, in a never-ending loop and then what? Nothing. No progress."

_He doesn't know...He wouldn't understand._

"I'm stubborn; I don't give up."

"It's not wrong to admit your limitations. If you can't take it anymore, then stop. You're just punishing and destroying yourself with such forced resiliency."

"That's not━―!"

He raised his eyebrow, and I halted.

_That's not true..._

_But..._

I knew.

_There's an ending point for everything. _

_Isn't it enough?_

_I've worked hard, right?_

_It's already enough, right?_

_There are still other boys, right?_

Obaa-san was right. I'd limited myself so much that the disappointment was a thousand fold.

_Moving on...why is it so hard...?_

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair helplessly. "I don't know...I don't know what to do anymore...If only I can forget him..."

"Let's go out then," Claude suggested.

"What?" I gaped at him, shocked.

He shrugged. "Let's date each other. Be my girlfriend."

I continued to gape at him, blushing.

_What the hell is he on about?_

_How can he say that so easily?_

He smirked. "Don't worry. It's not because I like you _**so readily**_ or any of that romantic crap. A relationship with you will be something beneficial, is all."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" I spluttered, confounded.

He lifted a corner of his mouth. "You want to forget that guy, and I need a cure. You've heard from my grandmother, right? And you've encountered me before. You should be able to conclude that I'm a misogynist. I hate all women except some of my relatives."

He frowned and glared at nothing. "I've been living quite well with such a plastic and sarcastic tolerance to women. But, it won't be too long that such attitude will destroy my plans of the future. For all I know, with how populous women are in the working society today, my boss might be a disagreeable woman, and I might just get the worst evaluation in terms of work performance with co-workers. This weakness of mine might be the greatest reason that I'll get fired when I work."

_What? Work? Future?_

I blinked and gawked at him as if he was demented.

_This guy...is so ahead!_

_...Is he telling me that I can be used as a practice tool?_

_What the heck?_

"You can't be serious, can you?" I crossed my arms and harrumphed.

He glowered at me. "Do you think I'm someone who takes things lightly?"

"Well, for what you just bloody easily asked me; yes, you do!" I responded hotly.

_What does he think I am? I'm that easy?_

_HAH!_

He fleered. "It wasn't something light, stalker-san. I told you, it's something beneficial. I've quickly and _**intelligently**_ thought about it. You're quite slow, huh."

"Wha━―You jerk!" I shot vehemently. "Stop calling me stalker!"

"Whatever," he sneered, brushing my anger off. "It's your loss anyway. Not that I don't have tons of girls chasing me despite the fact that I said I hate them all."

_What the hell━? This bloody jerk!_

"F-fine! I don't need such a conditional and half-hearted help! I never wanted to have anything to do with you anyway!" I waved my hands furiously and then started storming off angrily.

To my puzzlement, Claude burst out laughing, and I halted in my tracks. I became cognizant that he was grasping my hand to stop me and sat me back down. "Haha alright, alright. Sheesh, you really take things seriously, huh."

_What? _

_You're the one who implicated that I shouldn't take things lightly!_

_And now you're implying I should do the opposite?_

_What?_

I growled at him. "How can't I?"

_What's up with this crazy guy?_

_He's like, BIPOLAR!_

He suspired and snapped his fingers near my eyes. "Alright, alright. Erase, erase. Presto! Abracadabra!"

I gawked at him. _This guy's REALLY mental!_

Claude smirked. "Did my magic work? Let's reset then."

"HAH?"

"Reset," he shrugged and fleered. "Forget about what I said. I was humoring you, anyway; you have quite interesting reactions."

He smiled, but I wasn't deceived.

"You jer━―!"

He covered my mouth, and I blushed. "Mmf!"

"Hai, hai," he rolled his eyes, bored. "Tell me something I don't know."

I pouted and took his hand off my mouth.

"You...you're really different from what I thought."

Claude raised his eyebrow. "What? So you got me stereotyped already?"

I shrugged and quipped. "Didn't you prejudge me too? Last time I checked, I was called 'stalker' a bunch of times. And you hate girls too."

"Indeed," Claude jounced his head.

I huffed. "Why do you hate girls anyway? Were you molested? Bullied?"

I was jesting, but Claude's expression suddenly became...hooded and serious.

"You think it's fun, huh?"

_Wha━?_

He...looked scary.

And hurt.

I fidgeted on my seat, away from him. "Tha-that's━―"

_Me and my mouth!_

"That's right," he said grimly. "I was bullied by girls and molested by old women. That sounds fun for you, right? You think it's normal, right?"

_No!_

I stood up and shouted. "That's not it! I don't think like that!"

I looked at him, hurt that I was hurting him...

_Why...how could I have been so insensitive...?_

_Why...am I hurting someone else...?_

Transference made me felt more horrible.

_It's so sad...not only did his sister die...but he's also violated..._

_Why...How could I take things so lightly?_

I bowed my head morosely, ashamed.

Just then, I heard sniggering sounds, and I looked up at Claude in curiosity.

"Why are━―?"

"I...was... kidding!" He said between laughs. He tried to halt his chuckles and added, "You really take things seriously."

Now I was furious.

"You! How can you play with my feelings like that? I truly felt guilty, you know! I was really sorry about what I said, you know! And yet, IT WAS ALL A JOKE? STOP MESSING WITH ME!"

I panted, and, flummoxed, Claude stared at me. He blanched and averted his eyes.

"You...You're crying again."

I blinked and felt my cheeks with my hands. Indeed, the tears I'd kept at bay were running freely.

"You...!" I said feebly, emotionally weary. "You boys are all the same...! You make us fall in love with you! Tease and toy about our feelings! You...! Why...do you hurt me so much? Why must it hurt so much?"

I sat down, hopeless.

Those words were supposedly for Naru.

I shouldn't have said them to Claude.

"Sorry..."

But, my throat could not take it anymore.

I wanted to scream shrilly like a banshee.

I wanted to hurt myself at that moment.

_Destroy myself._

_Kill myself._

I was going insane.

The pain was making me mad.

"Don't stop."

"W-what?" I blinked.

"Don't stop shouting," Claude suggested. "There's nobody else in here besides the two of us, so let it all out. Treat it as special service along with your free entrance. This place lacks a music background, anyway. Care to audition?"

His smile was very warm and gentle. I...never thought he could smile like that. But then, I'd always prejudged people.

_Obaa-san's right. I...should wander and look beyond the frog's well or pond. I...should stop secluding myself._

So, I screamed.

"YOU NARCISSIIIIIIISSSST! YOU STINKIIINNGG TEA ADDIIICT! I HATE YOUUUUUUUUU! I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUU! BUT I'M SO TIRED OF LOVING YOU, SO GO AWAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY! GET OUT OF MY MIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNDUH-!"

I panted and thrashed my legs like in a temper tantrum. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGGEEEEHHH!"

I croaked, losing air. "Jerk!"

It was strange. The more shrilly I shouted, the better I felt. I even laughed at my silly self after a few more gibberish-filled shouts━―all directed angrily, sorrowfully, and puzzlingly to Naru.

I stomped my feet, kicked everywhere, and punched in the air. I was a madman and then not. I was a banshee and then not.

I was crazy and stayed that way.

If someone forewarned me that I would become hysterical when I fall in love, I should have avoided it.

But I didn't.

I hadn't.

So, I couldn't save myself when I'd already fallen so deep in the pit...

Unless I dug a hole and made a tunnel to another pit.

_But is there such a thing as another pit?_

_Can I really fall out of love by falling in love with somebody else?_

All energy exerted, I sat on the floor in exhaustion.

"I'm such an idiot."

Claude shook his head. "You're not. There are multiple intelligences. Not being very good at one aspect doesn't make you stupid in general."

I blinked. _No one...ever told me that before._

"Why...are men so mean then...?" I sniffed and panted, probably sounding like a very old woman then.

"Men are beasts," Claude said quietly. "And what do you think happen to beasts?"

What he said enlivened my imagination, and I thought of Naru clinging to a rope and howling like a monkey...

"They live long, of course," I said bitterly.

Claude shook his head again. "No. They get hunted, Mai. The only real justice in the world is death. At least, that's usually the misconception."

I blinked and stared at him. "You...just dropped the honorifics and called me by my first name immediately."

"Is it wrong?" He smiled slightly. "Would you want me to call you a 'stalker' again?"

I glowered, and he chortled.

Sighing, he observed. "You've cheered up, though. Am I not amazing?"

His eyes twinkled in triumph.

"HAH?" I rolled my eyes and stared at him. He just grinned at me.

I realized that I could never understand such a random guy...

_He was like...someone with a PMS...!_

The inception of a snicker rumbled up my throat. I covered my mouth at my silly thought.

_Wait...a moment..._

_He...was playing around...making me angry...just to cheer me up?_

_What kind of reasoning is that?_

Straightening and raising my eyebrow, I crossed my arms and said crossly. "How can you go so roundabout when you could've told me a good joke?"

I...definitely prejudged him.

_This...is the little brother Liza loves very much...The caring brother she didn't━―but should have _(_grown_)━―_grow up with._

Claude shrugged, looking away. "I'm not good with jokes."

I blinked and un-crossed my arms.

Then, sounds were miraculously escaping from my mouth.

It wasn't really something laughable (honestly...his randomness is infectious!), but I just felt happy somehow.

It was then that I realized that it's not only Naru who makes me happy.

Like how I'd always believed in horoscopes, I'd always been deluding myself that it's only Naru who could make me happy.

I was the one limiting myself.

I was the one narrowing my horizon.

So, I should be the one broadening it.

I knew that now.

_So, how can one unforeseen meeting hurt?_

"You...you definitely are a _**lunatic**_," I guffawed.

"It's the moon's fault," he reasoned.

"Haha~What's up with that?" I said. "Are you a werewolf?"

He smirked. "Whatever you think."

I shrugged, shifting. "If you weren't traumatized, why do you hate girls though?"

"I don't hate girls," he simpered. "The people I dislike are just mostly girls."

"Hah? That's the same thing!"

"No, its not. Most of the girls have all the characteristics I hate in a person. It's not just girls I hate; there are some boys too."

I screwed my eyes at him. "You hate too much."

He shrugged. "I'm being honest."

"You're being a misanthrope."

"Now, that's a stereotype."

"Whatever."

With sparkling eyes, he boffed. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

_Will I fall in love with this guy?_

I would never know.

It was strange but...I noticed that my heart wasn't scared anymore.

My mind had cleared up that day, and my heart could tell...

I was ready to fall in love with Claude.

Maybe.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**12:15-12:30 pm**

Of course, I didn't agree to such a conditional relationship...

And he was jesting too.

I'd never planned to meet him again but...

Inevitability had always ruled the nature of the world.

_People change_**,**_ and everyone's view of other people change._

That's exactly what happened with Claude and me.

And...I'd started to see him as someone special to me...besides Naru.

I smiled lovingly at Claude.

"Won't you stay over?" I asked, gazing pleadingly.

Claude nodded, beaming. "I'm planning to."

_I want to make our bond strong._

_I want to love him deeply, wholeheartedly, and passionately._

I chose Claude because of that. I chose him because I want him to be with me.

Not Naru.

It's not Naru anymore.

Because he'd never care...I'd accepted that now.

I knew now why I should really stop being stubborn. I knew now why I shouldn't continue fighting for my love for Naru.

_Acceptance of the truth is a painful thing but...it's the right thing to do._

And so, I didn't have regrets about anything as I leaned over and kissed Claude.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

It was supposed to be a brief chaste peck on the lips, but I lingered, trying to feel anything.

Yet still, every sensation was numbed.

A heavy knock reverberated within the room, and I pulled apart from Claude with a sigh.

"Your lips are hot..." Claude exhaled, and I smelled the mint tea scent I'd always been encountering lately.

I saw my blushing face in the irises of Claude's gentle eyes.

Looking away quickly, I stammered. "W-what's up with that?"

_Saying embarrassing things!_

I released the air which I didn't notice I was holding.

It was prompt, but there was some kind of spark. Yet...

I bit my lip, but I still couldn't tell if I was really biting it.

I didn't feel our lips touch.

I still couldn't feel anything.

That made me sad...

But, I was so contented to finally make a conscientious decision.

_I would never waver again._

_Ever._

I straightened, somehow embarrassed at my brazenness. I glanced at the door. Claude's transfixed stare was making me so self-conscious.

"I-it's probably Bou-san...Ah! I didn't introduce him to you yet!" I twiddled my fingers. "W-well, he's the tan-haired guy who spoke to us earlier..."

Someone knocked on the door again, and I excused myself to open it.

I twisted the doorknob and swished the door open. "Bou-san, wha━―?"

I stopped dead.

My eyes broadened.

"Naru..."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~lalala~**

Naru gazed at me, his eyes darker and his face...more emotionless.

I fidgeted. _He didn't see it, right?_

I shook my head.

_It's not that it matters to him, anyway!_

_It's not like he'd care, anyway!_

_And it's none of his business!_

He's probably there for some odd job left for me.

"W-what is it?" I diverted and gesticulated. "Should I check the temperatures? The cameras? Watch the monitors? Umm...should I go to sleep again? The findings of others might not be sufficient, right? Hmm?"

I looked at Naru determinedly, but he wasn't gazing at me; he was staring at Claude in silence.

"So, you're Mai's boss," I heard Claude's voice suddenly from behind me, and I winced in surprise.

Claude smiled at Naru and extended a hand as I slightly stepped aside.

"Nice to meet you. Mai had told me a lot of things about you."

Naru ogled at Claude's outstretched hand, and there was an odd glint in his eyes...as though he's going to emit laser beams and incinerate Claude's hand.

I shook my head.

_What's with my imagination? Honestly!_

I thought Naru wouldn't shake Claude's hand**, **but Naru did the unexpected; he lifted his right arm and clasped hands with Claude.

Then, he gazed at Claude in an...electrifying stoic expression. "_**Evidently**_, Mai hadn't told me _**anything**_ about you, Murakami-san."

Claude smirked―their hands still clasped together. "That was quite a surprise, I guess, Shibuya-san. But then, isn't that great? Surprises are good for the heart sometimes."

Naru glared to my puzzlement.

And I noticed his hold on Claude somehow tightened too...

_Why's he...?_

_What's with him?_

_And what's this __**mental **__chill?_**!**

I looked at Claude anxiously, but he's also glaring at Naru.

_W-what's happening?_

Thinking fast, I draped my hands over Naru and Claude's grasping hands and stammered quickly. "N-Naru, isn't the handshake enough? Y-you really~~! If you keep on holding my boyfriend like that, Lin-san and I will get jealous, you know~~ *heart*"

They blinked at me before their hands loosened, to my relief, and Naru stared at me in wonder; his glaring eyes vanished. "What are you talking about?"

"Lin-san?" Claude asked me; his glare had also faded.

I smirked sheepishly. "Well...Lin-san is Naru's other assistant and well...they always disappear at some point and no one knows where they go~~! So yeah...you know...I think they swing the other way around and if Lin-san saw Naru holding Claude's hand...Ahh you'll both be in trouble, right? *heart*"

I winked at them, and they stared at me as if I'd gone mental.

I was being silly; I knew that. But, I felt that I had to break the _**mental **_iciness that suddenly emanated in the room.

After staring and listening to me, Claude suddenly laughed heartily, and Naru frowned.

"What's up with that reasoning?" Claude boffed, ruffled my hair (to which I kyaah-ed), and said to Naru jovially. "It must have been hard to have Mai as your employee. She concludes so easily, so it must be hard convincing her otherwise."

Naru simpered, and I was glad that his face softened, at least a little.

"By the looks of it, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not the only one in the office that she thought of as homosexual."

I pouted.

_And now they're teasing me?_

_What the heck?_

I crossed my arms, pouting. "Mohhh! You two are now teaming up against me? Can't I even have any support?"

Claude smiled, and Naru astonishingly lifted a corner of his mouth towards me.

The chill I felt before had gone, and the mental atmosphere in the room was light and warm again.

"Naru," I called, and Naru raised his eyebrow to me. "Do I have something to do in the base or anywhere?"

Naru just nodded. "We'll be checking the room in the seventh floor while the others are doing their exorcisms."

I brightened. "Okay! What did the others find out in the villages?"

"I'll tell you while we ascend."

"I can help with your investigation," Claude volunteered, and I beamed. "Your case seems fun."

Naru narrowed his eyes. "I cannot assure your safety."

There was that unforgiving glint again...

_Why...is he staring so coldly...?_

I decided to ignore Naru's aloofness.

"Claude will be alright," I affirmed and told Naru excitedly. "He can help us, Naru. He's studying Asian folklore as one of his minors and he knows a lot of things. How about it?"

Naru frowned at my suggestion, but I gazed at him pleadingly. He looked away swiftly (which was strange) and shrugged.

"Fine by me," Naru whirled and started sauntering away. "Let's go, Mai."

Elated, I said to Claude. "We'll be back."

Claude nodded. "Take care. Don't let that guy eat you up."

I laughed heartily. "Look who's speaking."

Claude tilted his head. "I didn't eat you up before."

"Yeah, yeah. You just called me a stalker and stared me down like I'm poop," I pecked his left cheek and giggled as I made my way out.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**12:45-1:04 pm**

"Hmm...it's so strange," I observed as we landed on the seventh floor. "I've been meaning to ask you before..."

_Yet you won't look at me..._

Naru lifted his eyebrow as I trudged the hallway beside him. "About what? "

Donning a sulky expression, he had just finished filling me in about the recent discussion which he had with the others in the base.

"Well...out of all 7 floors, how come it's only the second floor hallway that's in disarray?" I frowned. "Is it a work of a ghost or something?"

When I went outside my room, the paintings, furniture, and vases on the second floor hallway were either lopsided, moved diagonally, or broken.

Naru didn't comment about it, and I had wanted to ask. But, he looked like he was pondering deeply about something that I couldn't just awkwardly inquire about.

"Maybe there's a poltergeist phenomena here, after all?" I asked. "Perhaps we should check the surveillance cameras?"

Naru shrugged and shunted his head. "Perhaps."

_What's with the 'it's-trivial' implication?_

_Shouldn't he go about explaining that some ghost or whatever did it?_

Because the chaos in the second floor hallway was somehow a good proof of some poltergeist stuff going on!

_It's not something he can just shake off lightly with a 'perhaps'!_

...

_Where's the know-it-all aura I always get?_

"Naru━―"

"Mai," Naru finally halted and looked at me.

His face was emotionless, but his eyes were..._**angry?**_

"W-what?" I unconsciously took a step back.

He noticed and looked away.

"Do you remember the location of the door we came out from?"

I blinked. "...It**'**s on the side across the staircase...10th door on the right..."

I gazed at where Naru was looking and gasped.

_Naru's sticky note is on the 8th door!_

_How did it━―?_

Naru opened the eight door, and I peered inside.

_It's definitely the same room!_

Maybe I was wrong after all.

Naru frowned but didn't say anything. He approached the spider lily tapestry and pulled it aside.

My eyes widened.

_The broken entrance is gone!_

"Naru, how━―?"

"It seems like someone or something is playing with us," he checked the spaces at the back of the paintings.

"What about the stickers?" I started searching for my marked places.

I was struck with the discovery.

_The_**-**_they're all here!_

I swallowed, probably sweat-dropping. Then, I ran out of the room and towards the 10th door.

"Mai!" Naru followed suit.

"W-what's the meaning of this...?" I said as I gawked at the identical room in front of me.

Naru didn't reply as he checked the spaces at the back of the same spider lily tapestry.

_No...entrance..._

_No broken mirror shards..._

_But...the stickers are on places where we placed them, and the rooms are the same?_

_How―?_

Naru turned to me. "Follow me closely. We'll check the other rooms."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**OMNISCIENT**

**1:09-1:25 pm**

The young detective was sprawling his arms vertically and burying his left cheek on the table when Takigawa entered.

At the sight of the monk, Yasuhara bobbed his head up and straightened. His face brightened and 'flower-ed' up.

"Honey~!" Yasuhara called playfully and pseudo-amorously.

Takigawa shuddered and admonished. "Stop calling me that! You're giving me jeepers creepers!"

Yasuhara pouted, and Takigawa shivered.

"Hoi, hoi. Stop looking at me so creepily."

Yasuhara just grinned. "Why are you here so early? Aren't there still a lot of places to exorcise?"

"What about you? Shouldn't you be interviewing the servants?"

"I'm taking a break."

Takigawa nodded. "Same."

There was silence except for Lin's laptop-tappings.

The monk frowned and looked around. "Naru and Mai aren't here yet?"

"Nope," the young detective widened his grin. "He's being careful, obviously. Mai's quite volatile, you know."

Takigawa suspired and then sat on the seat readied for the interviewees.

Conniving as always and making sure that Lin's headphone was stuck to the right places, Yasuhara leaned and supplied to the monk, "How about a bet?"

The monk narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Yasuhara fleered. "Bet. 20,000 yen each. Time frame: within the case."

Takigawa frowned. "Do you even have that much money to bet on?"

"Of course I do."

The monk was suspicious. "Did your parents cut you off or something? Maybe you just need that much━―"

"Nuh-uh," Yasuhara shook his head.

The monk stared, contemplating.

Yasuhara waited like a puppy.

Not really having a choice of escape, Takigawa uttered. "8,000 yen."

"15."

"10."

"14."

"12."

"Deal! She'll choose Claude!" The scheming detective was quick.

"Hey, that's my bet!" Takigawa protested, but Yasuhara just wagged his finger.

"Nuh-uh-uh!"

"You━―!"

A hand slapped fresh 20,000 yen worth of bills on the table, and the duo flinched in alarm.

"In the end, she'll choose Naru," laconic Lin emotionlessly betted.

"No fair, Lin! We're only betting within the time of this case!" Takigawa reasoned.

Lin gave them the evil eye, and the both of them sweat-dropped.

Yasuhara tapped the monk's shoulder playfully. "Honey, tara~Lin-san knows best, you know!"

He bobbed his eyebrow to the monk. _His shikis might attack us!_

Getting the clue, the monk scratched his head. "Haha! You're right~!"

Takigawa tapped harder, and Yasuhara just twitched his mouth a little.

_Lin's forever Naru-pro!_

The monk jounced his head. _We can't win against him!_

"Hellooooo," a voice echoed, and they all turned.

Then, Yasuhara stashed Lin's money in his pocket while Lin returned to his territory by the monitors, and Takigawa counted the beads in his rosary.

Claude smiled. "I'd been knocking, but you didn't reply so..."

"Ah! No problem! It's ok, Murakami-san!" Yasuhara gushed and then asked. "Do you need something?"

"I'm here to help, actually."

They all stared at Mai's boyfriend.

Claude waved his hands. "Ah, don't worry. I already told your boss, and he consented."

Yasuhara and Takigawa gave each other a meaningful glance.

_He consented to his rival!_ Takigawa was confounded.

_It must be Mai's doing!_ Yasuhara speculated.

"Are you two okay?" Claude asked the face-gesturing duo.

Before they were able to respond, however, the door slammed open.

A panting Masako came in and hollered urgently, "In the chapel, there's a━―!"

Their break ended with a dash.

**END OF OMNISCIENT**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**1:25-1:59 pm**

They were all the same; the broken entrance was nowhere to be found.

_How...is this even possible?_

It would have been spine-tingling if I could feel my spine; thankfully, I couldn't.

"Naru...!" I bit my lip.

Naru sighed and checked his watch. "This is enough for today."

He was frustrated, his eyebrows knitting.

Truly disturbed, I just nodded**.**

_Was...the seventh floor always like this...?_

_I guess...we should ask the servants...Yasu-kun and Bou-san too...since they checked the rooms' temperatures before._

"Have you transferred your things already?" Naru asked quite randomly.

"Huh?" I said absent-mindedly.

"Have you transferred your things into Matsuzaki-san's room?"

Sheered, I blinked and then blurted. "Ah...about that...You see, with the way things are, I don't have to move in with Masako and Ayako anymore."

Naru peered disapprovingly at me as he closed the 48th door we'd inspected.

He loured. "What do you mean?"

"Well...Claude will be staying over, so I won't be alone anymore. I can sleep well when he's around, plus he's a great pillow." I blabbed tactlessly.

Naru glared at me unfavorably. "I doubt Murakami-san can protect you. You will still be moving into Matsuzaki-san's room."

I glared back, pouting. "Claude can protect me. He's very capable that it'll make you praise him!"

Naru icily added. "I have yet to meet someone living I could praise."

"Wha━―!"

Leaving me seething, Naru spun away and tread ahead of me.

_How could he say that?_

"Claude's still better than you," I tartly told him from behind as I traipsed the hallway.

"No one's better than me," Naru said in...some sort of blend of grunting and growling.

_How come he sounds like that?_

I harrumphed. "Claude's better, alright. He's a good pillow while you're a _**douche bag**_."

It had irked me how arrogant he could be.

"You're too ignorant not to distinguish that I'm a better 'pillow' than that guy."

I nictated, astounded at what I heard. I almost choked on my saliva.

_A better pillow than Claude...?_

_D-does he even...know what he's saying? But then, he never says nonsensical stuff so..._

_Does he mean...? _

_Aargh! What the hell?_

My heart definitely needed a defibrillator; it just went dead, flat-lined. I was probably erubescent then.

_Why is he saying embarrassing yet heart-swaying things_?_!_

But I couldn't help remembering...that night when we sat under the sakura tree in Obaa-san's garden...That night when we gazed at meteor showers...and I'd lain my head on Naru's shoulder, pretending to sleep.

_Stop remembering...Stop wavering, Mai._

I bit my lip. _That's right. I'd had good memories with Naru...but..._

_I chose Claude to be with me._

Looking away (although Naru couldn't see whatever my expression was), I cleared my throat and gave out a pretentious, silly laugh.

"Ahaha, you? A better pillow? Your shoulder was so bony; it was piercing the side of my head last time."

_That's right. I'm going to be difficult._

_I said that, right?_

I was met by silence.

Still walking towards the never-ending hallway, I struggled to say something.

_This is awkward..._

_D-did I overdo it?_

_Did I make him so angry that he didn't want to retaliate?_

_Please speak..._

_Please be mean to me._

_Please...don't make me waver anymore._

"This is a first, huh? You've become quite silent when you usually readily reply with sardonicism~" I smirked jokingly. "Whaaaat~Are you so jealous that you couldn't speak?"

I was simply poking fun at him.

I mean...it wasn't like he could be really jealous; he just wanted to be the first or the best all the time.

_That should do it! He'll reply to that, right?_

Naru halted and whipped around to me. He looked at me with such intensity that I felt like melting in the spot━―although I wouldn't feel that I'm physically melting though...

"_**I am jealous**_," he grunted and drawled out, emphasizing each word.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~kyaaaaa!**

My jaw hung slack; eyes bulged.

Holy kami...

_WHAT?_

I was literally speechless and flummoxed. Agape, and then not.

Words just escaped and could not be formed.

_Jealous...? Because of Claude...?_

_He's joking...right?_

I looked away and croaked. "W-what are you saying? Shouldn't you be happy that I'm not going to bother you anymore?"

I didn't know whose voice I heard speak**;** it didn't sound like myself at all.

_And what the hell did I just say?_

I had croaked the queries out with scorn, and I did it so...relentlessly.

He looked away too, but there was a hint of hurt in his features. "_**I thought you are smitten with me.**_"

I nictitated, bewildered.

_Why? Why are you saying this now? I don't understand why you're looking so hurt!_

I ran a shaky hand through my hair.

_No..._

_More like, I don't want to understand Naru's feelings! I don't want to keep on hoping! I don't want to continue with this illusive love I have for him! _

I don't know what possessed me, but I managed to nod and reply, "I still am."

I sound...programmed, almost robotic.

...Devoid of emotions...for the first time.

_What now?_

He looked at me unfathomably, simultaneously confused.

_Why are you looking at me like that? Why are you looking so hurt when you're not supposed to be?_

_Why?_

_How can you make me feel like I'm such a bad person?_

"But I'm loving Claude more and more," I added brusquely, not gazing at him again.

_**Too**_ brusquely.

"And he loves me back," I finished.

I might have been putting salt to the wound, but I couldn't comprehend everything. I couldn't comprehend Naru's pained eyes in the midst of his perplexed and stoic face.

"So you've given up?" His tone sounded as if I betrayed him; it was cynical and acidic...

_When in fact, I didn't. Betray him, I mean. And for him to sound like that... How is that fair?_

I was fuming, then, so I gritted out. "Because I am _**not a masochist after all, Oliver Davis. I had enough pain to last me for a lifetime.**_"

And that wasn't the last straw.

I was always an evil girl incarnate; I didn't even know I had it in me.

"_**You broke my heart, Naru**_," I jabbed him on his chest, ogling venomously. "_**But Claude fixed it.**_"

His eyes broadened slightly, hinting that he's astounded at what I said. I honestly surprised myself too, but I remained firm and steady.

What had been said couldn't become undone.

He gazed at me with such...I don't know how to describe how his eyes were except that...they looked...ultra-great-super hurt, for a lack of better word...And I could feel my heartstrings being tugged by it.

But again, I was puzzled at how...my emotions were suddenly overruled by my brain as I felt my jaw clenching, my eyes looking at Naru as if I see through him, and everything emotional becoming seemingly so alien to me then.

It was probably the loss of sense of touch that made me feel that way. It's probably the numbness and unfeeling that permeated me that made me capable of being caustic, cold, and relentless at that moment.

Neither sympathy nor empathy filled me.

Somehow, now I understood how easily people can shift from one personality to another━―and one didn't have to possess MPD either. Changing personalities was a way of coping with different situations.

Right then, I was coping with some inscrutable anger at Naru.

_He's jealous? What is he thinking? Is he toying with me again? Because I'm smitten with someone else?_

_Because I'm hurting his conceit, pride, and ego with my relationship with Claude?_

He was going to make out something from his mouth, but, before a sound got out of him, his cellphone rang. Reluctantly, with glimpses at me, he took out his phone, gazed at the caller id, and pressed a key to answer. He still eyed me with some restrained hidden retort, but he got preoccupied with whoever was calling and whatever was the caller saying.

"I understand," he said. "We'll be going there, Lin."

He hung up, and I asked him before he could utterwhat he had left unsaid before.

"What did he say?"

"They found one of those dolls."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

I did not run away.

I did not glance his way.

But**,** I left him without a word**, **and he let me walk ahead of him.

I didn't want to see his face and become guilty.

With what I'd said, Naru probably thought I was playing around.

But I wasn't.

_I'm really serious with Claude. _

Naru and I slipped in the base without acknowledging each other's presence. I was astounded when I saw Claude being surrounded by the others, chatting so lively and all.

Even Lin-san was listening in, although he tried to keep an eye on the monitors every now and then.

"Well...I met Mai again when our grandmothers arranged a meeting for the two of us," Claude disclosed. "We were in quite a disagreement, so we never really intended to make something work."

"Whoa. So Mai's Obaa-san has approved of you?" Yasuhara queried.

Claude shrugged. "I never asked, but she seems satisfied every time she sees me fetch Mai."

"Back to the topic, Murakami-san," Masako tattled. "When and where did you meet Mai after the arranged meeting?"

Claude smiled. "Well...it's quite coincidental actually...or maybe her grandmother planned it at the start. Sometime in the middle of May, I became Mai's substitute cram school teacher."

Almost everyone's jaw dropped (except Lin-san's, Naru's and mine).

"S-so...that's how it...?" Bou-san looked shocked and then sighed before patting Claude's shoulder. "It must have been hard teaching her, young man. But, she thought you something too, I guess━―"

"So this is what you meant by helping?" Naru said loudly and narrowed his eyes at the gathering. "I believe I have not told you to idle around."

Almost everyone sweat-dropped. Lin returned to the monitors, and Bou-san scratched his head.

"Well...we're just resting, Shibuya-san," John replied gently.

"Mai," Claude called with a grinand approached me. "Here."

He handed me stapler-ed documents.

I blinked. "What is this, Claude?"

He beamed. "They're your parents' theses."

My eyes broadened. "These are━―?"

"Mai's parents'━―?" Bou-san was thrilled too.

Claude just nodded, squinted his eyes, and smirked at Naru.

Claude had noticed how tension suddenly replaced the light mood before.

"Indeed, we were all killing our time with idle chatter. But, we were bored while waiting for you two, actually. And I had to suspend revelation so that everyone can hear my speculation at the same time. "

Impressed, I nictitated at Claude. "You already have a speculation?"

"Of what kind of ghosts you're all dealing with?" Claude cracked a smile. "Yes, Mai."

I felt proud of Claude at that moment. He didn't ace Tokyo University because of nothing after all.

Naru elevated his eyebrow, though, quite unimpressed. "And what's your speculation then?"

I could almost hear the narcissist saying, 'Don't waste my time, so get on with it.'

Claude was just cool about Naru's condescending tone though. "I've looked through the coroner's reports and found that━―"

"The servants mostly died of compressive asphyxia, causing their broken ribs to pierce their hearts," Naru interrupted, scowling at Claude disdainfully. "That's hardly a speculation, Murakami-san."

_How could he━―?_

I knobbed my fists furiously, about to retort, but someone had beaten me to it.

"Hoi, hoi, Naru-bou," Bou-san sweat-dropped. "Take it easy on the guy."

"It's war, Bou-san," Yasuhara patted Bou-san's shoulder playfully. "It can't be helped..."

"A cold war, indeed," Ayako approved.

"I...I think it might escalate to a real World War III, though..." John supplied unbelievably**,** and Yasuhara, Bou-san, and Ayako raised their thumbs in assent to the young priest.

_Wha━―!_

I was about to make the rest stop their reckless commenting when Claude spoke in reply. "That's _**not my speculation**_, Shibuya-san. I was _**not yet finished**_, honestly. You're _**quite an impatient one**_, huh. Well... anyway, I don't mind. Actually, my speculation is _**more awesome than mere memorization of coroners' reports**_."

Claude and Naru glowered at each other with equal loathing...

_Not again..._

I glimpsed at either of them consecutively.

Claude was cold-looking, his eyes brooding with...I don't know what.

On the other hand, Naru's...jaw clenched, and he looked..._**murderous...?**_

Thankfully, Yasuhara bravely clapped his hands to break the ice. "Now, now, let's call for a truce, shall we? _**Sooo~ **_Chiaki-kun, what's your speculation?"

Claude broke eye contact with Naru and shrugged before a genuine smile crept to his face.

He then asked us loudly and smartly.

"Well...have you heard of '_**sitting ghosts**_'?"

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~oohlala~~**

* * *

"_**Looking at the person you love while he or she is happy with somebody else is like staring at the sun; it's painful to watch."**_

_**~Anonymous~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**A/N:That. Was. Like. A. Slap. On. The. Face! Yeah! No! T.T Poor Naru, right? Yeah, I know. I'm really evil and hateful to the core. =.= **

**Buuuut well, we're all defensive creatures. Who wants to get hurt all the time? Mai has limitations too as well as the rest of us ^^**

**And I definitely didn't want her to be a die-hard doting Naru-smitten girl... =.= *shivers***

**Anyway, I have to say that I dislike Mai in this chapter! *stabs self* This story has become quite frustrating, right? *shrugs* Oh well~~~a few more chaps to go, so please bear with me! T.T *bows in dogeza***

**Sorry T.T Anyway, they found one of the dolls! What will they do now? What will they find out? See ya next chap! ^^**

***1 yen=0.013 of a dollar- so 20,000 yen=260+ dollars**

**P.S. NEXT CHAPTER'S UPDATE POSTPONED. I'd finished the 11th chapter, but I'm still dissatisfied with it. I'm sorry T_T Somehow, I felt as if my writing is crappy lately, and I felt that I need to do some serious thinking about what felt so wrong. I also have upcoming exams, so I have to prioritize those first. I'm sorry if I broke my promise again :( *sigh***

REVIEW REPLIES: (the recent ones)

**Beautiful Maiden: **Thank you! I'm delighted that you like the conflicts! Naru is just beginning to act! He won't back down that easily! Muahahahah XD Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**JayEyedWolf: **LOL at 'The-guy-everyone-was-gonna-forget-cuz-he-was-so-frickin'-minor?'! XD Enough said, indeed hehe ^^ I'm glad that you have speculations already about who the murderer is. For me, it's a sign that I'm doing the right thing hehe ^^ It's great that you also did translations in the Chinese part. It makes me happy that you're very engaged in understanding the story. :D Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! XD

**Funnhause64: **I'm glad to catch your interest! ^^ There are still a lot more of reactions from Naru coming haha! Next chap would be exciting~! XD Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Krissy2lip: **Here's what happened! Hehe ^^ Thanks for reading and reviewing as always! XD

**anonymous: **Thank you for reading and reviewing! That -man doll was nice too!

**Fly Away Free spirituality: **I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Here's a new update!

**izhra: **Naru's an idiot scientist indeed! Hahah! ^^ And yes, Mai's conflicting feelings are there again ^^ I'm glad you have speculations! It makes me excited to reveal the culprit when the time comes! It's really fulfilling that I'm engaging you T_T Haha and your guess of Senaka-sensei is good too ^^ Claude was quite 'huh o.O' right? I don't understand myself sometimes too lol But yeah There's more of Naru's reactions! See you next chap! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: **The stickers are cute too! And yes, for Naru to have them...it's fishy! hehhehe ^^ XD Thanks for reading and reviewing as always!

**Ariana Taniyama: **I'm glad you like it! ^^ And Naru's finally becoming less dense in terms of his feelings! Hehehe XD I find fireflies interesting too; they're cute creatures! But, yes, they have quite a role in the story ^^ Claude finally introduced himself in this one! And, as expected, Naru is not very pleased muahahhaha :D Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**MarisaKamy: **It really is thrilling! And, believe me, I would want Naru to hug Mai and lock her in a room for himself! But, yeah, the idiot scientist has some serious discoveries to make =.= Thank you for enjoying the story and also for reading and reviewing. ^^ Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Next chapter is entitled 'CES.' You may share your thoughts ^^**


	11. CES

**Review**

Thankfully, Yasuhara bravely clapped his hands to break the ice. "Now, now, let's call for a truce, shall we? _**Sooo~**_ Chiaki-kun, what's your speculation?"

Claude broke eye contact with Naru and shrugged before a genuine smile crept to his face.

He then asked us loudly and smartly.

"Well...have you heard of '_**sitting ghosts**_'?"

**End of Review**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

_**"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable."**_

_**~Attributed to James A. Garfield~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**DAY 3; 2:02-2:23 pm**

Everyone, except Naru and Lin, gawked at Claude.

"Any objections, Shibuya-san?" my boyfriend asked testily.

To our astonishment, Naru didn't glare. Instead, he just nodded. "That is a plausible speculation."

"Sitting ghosts, Naru-bou?" Bou-san was mazed. "How can it kill the servants?"

"If there are 4,443 sitting ghosts, the weight would be unbearable," Claude explained, and I goggled at him in great horror and shock.

"4,443?" Ayako exclaimed.

"H-how do you know that Claude?" I gaped. _That's too much!_

"It's written on the doll," Claude pointed on a life-size doll (I didn't notice before) which was eerily sitting on the couch.

It was the doll which attacked Rika and me, so fear crept up inside me.

Yasuhara courageously approached the doll, though, and inquired, "Where is it written, Murakami-san?"

"At the nape."

Yasuhara bent the doll over and set aside the hair to fall on each side of the shoulder. We all came to look at the four carved kanjis:********** 死****死****死****孔**

"That reads...death death death missing, right?" John queried.

"It's not saying numbers, Murakami-san," Masako proclaimed.

"Indeed, so how can you conclude that there are 4,443 sitting ghosts?" Ayako demanded.

I bit my lip and looked at Claude.

But, his eyes were so certain, and I felt that I could trust his speculation.

Claude just whipped his head to Naru. "What do you think, Shibuya-san?"

Deadpan, Naru just gazed at him and nodded again. "Murakami-san is right."

"How?" Bou-san asked.

"Ah! I get it!" Yasuhara figured.

"What is it, Yasu?" I catechized the four-eyed scholar.

He just smiled. "Boss can explain."

_What the━?_

Sighing, Naru elucidated. "The repeated character (**死**) is read as 'shi.' The kanji for four (**四**) or yotsu has a Chinese pronunciation that sounds like 'shi.' The number four has always been attributed to death ever since. Knowing this, there are three **死** which can be decoded as 444, and the number for the kanji of tooru or missing person (**孔**), which is apparently in the ones' place, will be three because it implies that it lacks something for it to be four."

_So that's how it is..._

_Only one missing to die...?_

Claude jounced his head, and his eyes looked very serious then. "If anything, whoever is behind all of this wanted us to find the doll and see these characters."

"He or she is threatening us," Yasuhara jounced his head too. "Implying that one of us will fill in the missing spot."

Claude conceded. "One to go for him or her to complete his or her goal."

"Goal?" I nictated, horrified at the term. "What goal?"

Claude shook his head. "I don't know yet. But, 4,444 people are most likely sacrifices to attain his or her ultimate goal."

_4,444 people...four 4s...That sounded so evil...A very great misfortune...Quadruple dead meat._

_But..._

_T-to have killed 4,443 people! That's so terrible and scary!_

I probably blanched because Claude was suddenly beside me, with him squeezing my hand.

Not feeling Claude's hand made me feel more frightened though.

_Why...why is my sense of touch not back yet when I need it so much?_

I bit my lip, but I still didn't feel my bite either.

Forgetting my previous anger, I turned to Naru. "Naru, what should we━?"

I trailed off as I saw Naru glowering at Claude and mine's intertwined hands.

_Wha━__?_

It was then that I remembered what he said before, so I looked away immediately.

_He...couldn't really be jealous, right?_

_There's no way he feels the same way, right?_

_But why...why is my heart getting so convinced with his sincerely pained and angry look?_

_Why...does he look so seriously disapproving with my attachment to Claude?_

_I don't get it!_

_I really don't want to get it!_

"Naru-bou?" Bou-san called, gratefully, and Naru's glare drifted to the fatherly monk.

Bou-san cowered a little. "H-hoi, hoi, don't look at me with such a scary face..."

Naru just diverted his eyes to Lin.

"Lin, prepare the lamps," Naru ordered flatly and then turned to Bou-san and Yasuhara. "You two, find Tenura-san and ask him to gather everyone, including the Kawabuki children, in this castle. Also, tell Tenura-san that we will be using one of the rooms and some things in this castle. Matsuzaki-san, Hara-san, and Mai, count everyone who stays in this castle. You three will tell Brown-san, Lin, and me. Then, we will pick things to use in this castle. Do not let anyone out of your sight."

_Pick things to use? What━?_

"What are you planning, Shibuya-san?" Claude was intrigued, his eyes shining brightly in curiosity.

Naru fleered, his eyes glinting superciliously at Claude.

"Autosuggestion, obviously."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**3:27-3:58 pm**

Naru and I never spoke to each other again. Instead, I had let Masako herself (to her slight bewilderment and great satisfaction) tell him the number of castle inhabitants. Fury shrouded every nook and cranny of my mind, and it increased tenfold every time I see him lour at Claude when the latter is near me.

_What right does he have to look so...acerbic?_

_Claude didn't even do anything wrong!_

_And he didn't even thank Claude for helping in the case!_

_I mean, Claude's speculation was great!_

_How can he not appreciate it by even being grateful?_

It irked me so much that I decided to ignore Naru all day long.

After telling Naru the number of inhabitants, Masako relayed to us that Naru wanted us to gather anything (vases, chairs, etc.) which could be found in the castle and that corresponded to the number of inhabitants. Claude helped us in carrying them to the allotted room and taking the carpets off the white marble floor. There were 40 people all in all, so we arranged the things into a ring and drew circles using washable colored marker pens around each of them. We had also set up cameras in all angles of the ring, and that was how we established our 'Poltergeist room.' Soon enough, Naru called the inhabitants one by one inside the room.

I didn't volunteer to help in the hypnotic process because I was still angry at him. So, I stayed in the base and made a fresh pot of tea once more while Ayako, Masako, John, and Bou-san continued their exorcisms. On the other hand, Claude and Yasuhara engaged into quite a rapid friendly conversation.

"Forty people to put into a trance..." Claude murmured. "Wouldn't that be very taxing on Shibuya-san?"

Claude...probably noticed Naru's glares on him too, but he never spoke up to me about it. Even if he was prominently disliked...Claude never called Naru with condescending names like I did.

Yasuhara cracked a smile. "Our boss will be fine. He always does extraordinary things."

I covered my snort.

Although there's truth in it, I wasn't very Naru-pro at that moment.

After serving tea, I sat on the couch and started to read through my parents' co-authored theses; it was the only distraction I could get at that instance.

_My parents..._

My mother had told me before that she met my father during college. They studied a course named 'Zetetics' and became thesis partners. However, I never asked what it was about; I didn't want to make my mother remember and feel the pain of my father's absence again.

I glanced at Claude as he chatted with Yasuhara about a familiar funny professor.

_Come to think of it...Claude didn't tell me why he gave me my parents' theses..._

I returned my orbs to the stapler-ed papers, scanned the front pages of each of the theses, and found the logo of Tokyo University at all topmost parts.

I blinked in fascination.

_I didn't know...that they both studied at Tokyo University!_

I pouted childishly.

_How come I didn't inherit their brains?_

Sighing, I surveyed the titles of each theses and was piqued.

Telepathic suggestion...cryokinesis...astral projection...

_All the theses my parents wrote were about paranormal phenomena!_

I was excited. I mean, who knew that the interest in the paranormal was hereditary too? Although I didn't have anything to prove that except my own perception and experience, but still━!

_My parents...love the paranormal too._

I was gratefully distracted indeed. I forgot my anger to Naru and my fear of the unknown culprit for a moment. Instead, gaiety and inquisitiveness enveloped me.

As I pored over my parents' theses, I unearthed a lot of things. Unlike other theses I'd encountered in Naru's office, my parents' theses were written in a very clear organization of language━as though they guessed that their quite unintelligent daughter wouldn't understand a word if they had done it otherwise.

Gleefully, I chose one of the theses with a somewhat helpful title━ ("Psychokinesis and Telepathic suggestion among ghostly subjects━") and started perusing.

_All experimental subjects are insofar very tangible. Humans, aluminum blocks, dice, and even plants━these are always experimented upon._

_But...what if one tries to experiment the immaterial?_

_What if one **can** experiment the immaterial?_

I absorbed every word like eating sushi. I felt magical, blissful, and heavenly.

_My parents...are very brilliant!_

The thesis was about laboratory experiments conducted with people who can do out-of-body-experience, PK, and telepathy. During their out-of-body-experience, their souls performed PK upon a still object, a moving object, a living object, and a fellow subject undergoing out-of-body-experience. Then, they used telepathy upon a living person and a fellow astral projector.

_There are 20 subjects who'll be using PK during out-of-body-experience and another 20 who'll be using telepathy during out-of-body-experience..._

_Most subjects have only either of PK-ST, PK-MT, or PK-LT. Only a few have all kinds of PK. All subjects with telepathy can transmit both images and thoughts._

A table listing all the subjects and their abilities was shown.

_They recorded videos of the experiment...with the presence of their professor..._

_A video with my parents...!_

_I want to see them both in action! Especially when they were still young!_

The more I read, the more I understood my parents and myself (my abilities and other abilities I may be capable of). It was as though my parents were telling me about my abilities like some normal parent-child discussion.

_There are specific 'symptoms' for every ability..._

"Mai-nee-chan."

"Hm?"

_Eh? Did I read that correctly? Mai-nee-chan? Strange..._

"Mai-nee-chan!"

"Wha━!" I winced in alarm, and my eyes fluttered at Rika-chan's grinning face.

"Rika..." I soughed and smiled. "What is it?"

"She wants the two of us to play with her in the garden," Claude informed, standing behind me on the couch.

"Ah..." I drawled. "It's alright for me but..."

"Shibuya-san already consented, Mai-san," a flushing Kirio-kun said (I didn't even notice him and Rika enter the base). "I'll help Yasuhara-san watch the monitors."

Yasuhara approved. "Go ahead, Mai."

I blinked and jounced my head. "Okay then..."

Slowly, I straightened and stretched.

"How far have you read?" Claude beamed, pointing at the theses I had in my hand.

I smiled back. "I'm still on my first one, in the methodology part. It's so easy to understand! Although I might just be biased, but really! Thank you, Claude! I've never thought that my parents are interested in the paranormal too! I mean, all I know was that they met in a course named Zetetics."

Claude nodded. "I was taking that course last semester. Our professor gave us a sample thesis to examine and argue about. One of the authors have the same surname as you, so I asked you that one time about your parents' names. You'd told me that your parents met and studied the same course during college, so I checked on the authors and found that they got married later on. You've showed their pictures to me before, so I also checked the graduation yearbooks. Your parents are amazing. They gave speeches and lectures in T-U when you were still very young."

I felt so elated and beholden. "Thank you! I'd never heard of my parents like this. I'm really glad, Claude!"

Claude grinned. "It's a very late birthday present, but I'm happy that you're very glad about it."

"Eh...?" I tilted my head. "You already gave me a gift on my birthday though."

He shrugged and lifted a corner of his mouth. "I just thought that the pool wasn't enough."

"That's not━Ah!"

"Mai-nee-chan, let's go!" Rika-chan hauled me by my sleeve, and I helplessly let myself be dragged.

"Be gentle on Mai, Rika," Claude said, trailing behind us.

With a sigh, I descended the stairs with Rika and Claude, and we proceeded to the garden through double doors I'd never ventured out before.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**4:00-4:19 pm**

Naru pushed aside the curtains and turned back to the sitting maidservant. The latter stared at the snow globe in his hands; her eyes glued to it.

_12 down, 28 to go..._

"That's all," he finally spoke, and the servant winced out of her reverie. "Thank you, Haruna-san."

The servant nodded and excused herself out of the room. Naru gave the snow globe to Lin, who then vanished to the other side which they'd covered with red velvet curtains as makeshift divider.

Suspiring, Naru swung open the floor length windows and traipsed to the balcony to get some air. Doing consecutive autosuggestions was very exhausting. Usually, he would group the suspected people together; however, he wanted to have particular results at that moment. It would take time, but it would be very productive.

"Mai-nee-chan, here!"

Naru nictitated and looked down from the balcony.

There was a wide garden of yellow tulips below, and, in the middle of the expanse, Mai, the Kawabuki girl, and the Claude guy were huddled together. The Kawabuki girl crowned a garland of yellow tulips on Mai's head, and the Claude guy pushed back a strand of hair behind Mai's ears.

Mai was blushing and beaming...

A scowl appeared on the narcissist's features.

The narcissist was angry.

Veeeeeery angry.

It was a first for him to feel that way.

An irritating memory of Mai leaning down to━

Naru glared at Claude who was laughing with Mai below. The scene recorded through his eyes, processed by his thalamus, and printed by norepinephrine in his hippocampus was replaying in his head like a broken music box.

Truthfully, though, he wasn't angry with Mai or Claude; he was angry with himself.

_"Claude's still better than you," Mai had told him tartly._

Although he denied what she said as true, he knew deep down that it wasn't false. Just seeing Mai smiling and laughing in Claude's presence proved that Naru was nothing compared to the guy. It irked him to realize such shortcoming, and, at the same time, a sharp, stinging sensation was permeating within him.

Excruciating pain...was supposedly alien to him. But at that moment, it invaded him like a virus that couldn't be cured.

_What...is this feeling?_

He already knew the answer to his query, actually, and every minute of gazing at Mai's jolly face━while she talked with Claude━strengthened the seriousness and truthfulness of the emotion which was welling up inside of him.

He was the one who's supposed to make her smile like that. He was the one who's supposed to be smiled at by Mai like that.

But why wasn't she smiling at him like that anymore?

Why wasn't she smiling with him anymore?

"What are you up to, Naru-bou?"

Still glowering, Naru instinctively whirled his head.

The monk blinked and cowered a little again. "Hoi, hoi. There you go again."

Jaw clenching, Naru looked away. The monk settled beside him and glanced at where the young boss was ogling before.

"Ah..." Takigawa murmured, frowned, and sighed. "I feel the same way, shounen. But, seeing Mai smiling so happily like that and looking so beautiful, I feel guilty even worrying and sulking. I guess I have to admit; she's changed."

_She's become more ladylike when she's with that blonde guy..._The monk jounced his head favorably. _Excellent work at taming Mai's tomboyish side indeed!_

On the other hand, Naru didn't say anything, but he was taciturnly dissenting.

_She didn't change._

Not wanting to see more of Mai's enamored stares at the Claude guy and leaving the monk to his own thoughts, he peregrinated inside the room again.

_She didn't change..._

_She's always beautiful._

Unfortunately, he wasn't very honest enough and never said it directly to Mai, face-to-face.

His phone rang again, and he picked it up listlessly. "What is it, Madoka?"

"Noll, I was wrong!" Madoka's desperate voice came through him.

"What do you mean?" Naru was sheered slightly.

"It's not Fumenmoku Wakkako who's in the asylum! It's her mother! Her 'normal state' was as Fumenmoku Wakkako, and she never acted as a mother. The age of 'Fumenmoku' in the asylum doesn't match with the supposed age of the real Fumenmoku at that time too, so I checked on the flight details before. Fumenmoku Wakkako didn't travel to Germany; it was Mikano Wakkako!"

Naru caught up now. "Fumenmoku Wakkako might have died here, then."

"Yes! And...there's one more thing," Madoka breathed out. "Although it might just be some nonsensical proclamation..."

He frowned. "What is it, Madoka?"

"Well, you see, in Mikano Wakkako's mental status reports," Madoka said slowly. "As Fumenmoku, she said she can control people!"

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**6:20-6:39 pm**

I didn't know how long I stayed with Claude and Rika at the garden. All I knew was that I'd spent the afternoon poring away on my parents' theses, asking Claude some questions in-between, and weaving garlands for the maids with Rika.

It was a very heart-lightening afternoon━something I'd never experienced before ever since I came inside the castle.

Claude's presence assured me that everything would be alright.

That I could do anything.

He's the only one who could give me such an empowering aura.

Knowing more about my parents also helped. The knowledge was comforting and heart-filling. I would want to continue in their legacy someday, when I go to college. I would like to do something we all love.

I suspired while entwining hands with Claude. We traversed the now orangey-lit garden with Rika skipping ahead of us. The sun was bidding goodbye to the horizon, but it made sure to leave a trail of tangerine hue on the sky.

"Are you okay?" Claude queried concernedly. He'd told me that my hands were getting cold, so we decided to head back inside. I somehow forgot that I didn't tell him about the loss of sense of touch, but I didn't want him to worry more than ever.

I grinned and bobbed my head. "Yeah, I feel great."

Claude beamed. "That's very good to hear."

"It's your doing, as always," I pointed out. "You're amazing too, Claude."

He chortled. "I didn't even do anything that much. You're the one who's very amazing."

I shook my head. "Nuh-uh. It's not about what you did literally. It's about you being present here with me that makes me feel fantastic."

Claude blushed and looked away, obviously pleased. "You can say very embarrassing things, Mai."

I chuckled heartily. "We're even then."

"Hmm..." Claude sounded.

"Hmmm...what?" I asked.

"Osaka."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"After the case here, let's go to Osaka," he invited. "My family has a rest house near the beach there. We can spend the rest of the summer vacation in it."

I probably reddened. "Tha-that's..."

Claude became erubescent too and averted his eyes coyly. "Well, I still have to ask your grandmother for permission too, of course! And you and I have to get permission for vacation leave in our respective jobs so..."

He was embarrassed at his suggested summer getaway's implication.

_To be alone together...in a rest house..._

_It's some lovey-dovey thing couples do, right?_

"To Osaka, then," I smiled, and Claude blinked before beaming too.

_I need a vacation from everything..._

Claude and I had decided to eat dinner before going back to the base, so we headed to the kitchen first. Unluckily, we met the stinking tea addict along the way. As usual, he loured at Claude and mine's entangled hands.

Claude started, "Shi━"

"Ahhh! I'm so hungry! Let's go eat, Claude!" I intercepted, hauled Claude, and disregarded Naru.

With the way I was slacking from work and disrespecting my boss, I knew I should be sacked. But...I just felt so irate. I mean, there I was, supposedly feeling great and light. But then, Naru appeared and BOOM; I remembered unwanted things again.

_Why...did Naru say he's jealous?_

_Why did he say that when he doesn't feel anything for me at all?_

_I don't like it._

_I don't like how he's making me waver again and again._

He's the greatest anomaly in my life; he's the person who'd disrupt my decisiveness again and again.

_I hate him._

_But I love him._

_And it epically sucks to feel so...bidirectional._

_Kami-sama, my heart and mind are so messed up._

"Did you two fight?" Claude perceived as we entered the bustling kitchen.

With a sough, I nodded. "Yes...But it's just...the usual."

Claude frowned. "Tell me about it."

"It's not important, Claude," I shrugged.

Claude and I sat on the marble benches across each other. My boyfriend leaned closer.

"Tell me, Mai."

I soughed.

_Now there's no escaping him._

_Besides...**Honesty**, right?_

"Naru...wants me to stay with Ayako and Masako," I scowled. "He said that you can't protect me."

Claude absorbed my words before nodding. "He has a point."

I blinked, perplexed. "Claude, that's━!"

"Shibuya-san is right, Mai. I can't protect you. Well enough, that is."

"Claude, that's not true!" I defended. "Naru's just being a jerk!"

Claude smiled slightly. "He's worried about you, Mai."

"He's not! The only thing he's greatly worried about is his pride!"

"I know he's worried about you too."

I pouted and squinted my eyes at him. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because we're both men, Mai," Claude replied quietly.

I made a moue. "What's with that reasoning?"

Claude looked away and took a plate handed to him with a murmured 'Thanks' to the maidservant. Then, gazing back at me, he persuaded, "Make amends with him, Mai."

I pursed my lips. "I don't want to."

"Mai..."

"He said he's jealous!" I blurted in whispers. "He was toying with me again, Claude! And I'm not happy with it!"

He peered at me with perspicacious eyes. "Did he admit he was playing with you, Mai? Or...was that just your prejudgment?"

I blinked.

_Prejudgment..._

_No...impossible._

_Naru...is just arrogant. He just thinks I'm so easy to conquer._

I shook my head. "It's not prejudgment...It's not..."

Claude didn't say anything, but he sighed. Then, he confessed, "I...can't become a very good white knight, Mai. But, I can think very well enough to prevent harm to befall upon us. So, won't you listen to my compromise?"

I bit my lip, suspired, and then bobbed my head again. "Okay..."

Claude lifted a corner of his mouth. "We'll stay in the base then. With a chaperon."

I was about to retort, but I bit my lip and pondered. It was not about finally being able to sleep in a beautiful room anymore; it's about sleeping with Claude by my side.

I sighed again and then nodded. "Alright..."

"Let me be selfish this once, I guess," Claude beamed.

I shook my head. "No, it's not selfish. It's just...you're making me spoil the tea addict more than ever."

Claude chuckled. "Are you jealous? You want me to spoil you then? Hmm...Were you that excited to sleep in a room with just me?"

"Wah━!" I reddened. "Th-thats━!"

He laughed heartily, and I was left pouting throughout supper.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**7:20-7:37 pm**

"Honey~What do you think are they doing now?" Yasuhara asked loudly while sitting in front of the monitors.

"How should I know, shounen?" Takigawa frowned. "Stop asking me about it already!"

Yasuhara grinned and glanced at Naru who's sitting on his usual throne in the middle of the base. "Weellll~ For all we know, they might be _**snogging**_ somewhere in a _**dark corner**_━"

"Stop it, honestly!" Takigawa hushed him, and the young detective just looked at the monk impishly.

Tuckered out, the monk suspired. "What are you writing anyway?"

There was that Cheshire cat's grin again. "You'll find out soon~~"

Takigawa scrunched his eyes at the scholar. "Don't━━"

There was a knock on the door, and Claude slipped his head inside the base. Mai's giggle was audible then.

"Just go in, Claude!"

"They're here~~" Yasuhara whispered roguishly to Takigawa who just glared.

Claude entered the base completely and was followed by a good-spirited Mai.

"Shibuya-san?"

Naru's head perked up at Mai's boyfriend, and he loured at Claude and Mai's interlaced hands.

"What is it?" The narcissist emitted a blend of a grunt and a growl.

The monk and the scholar observed how Claude and Mai's eyes met purposefully and how Mai shirked the narcissist's piercing scrutiny.

_Hm...I sense a fight waged_, Yasuhara pondered.

Takigawa pursed his lips. _So Naru was rejected, huh..._

Involuntarily clenching his clipboard tightly, Naru raised his eyebrow at the couple before him.

Claude just beamed. "Well, Mai has suggested that we'll stay at the base tonight to watch the monitors."

_What? _The monk stared at Mai in disbelief.

Naru ogled at Mai impassively. "I would believe you, Murakami-san, if the person who suggested that was the one who spoke first, instead of you."

Claude smirked. "I am acting as a messenger since _**my girlfriend**_ isn't in the mood to speak with you."

Naru gazed at him steadily. "I find it quite _**immature**_ of her to have a messenger when she is standing before me and can just say it directly to my face instead of bothering somebody else."

"_**I**_ _**don't mind being bothered at all**_, Shibuya-san," Claude icily responded. "Because _**I find Mai's immaturity as cute.**_"

A battle of electrifying glares ensued.

_Not again..._Mai sighed. Then, inching closer to Claude and tugging the latter's sleeve, Mai eyed and quoth to the air above Naru's head, "We'll stay in the base instead of my room. Lin-san will leave his shikis, right? You can leave someone who can exorcise with us also if you're not that convinced of the shikis' protection."

Naru narrowed his eyes. "Tha━━━"

"I'll do it, Naru-bou!" Takigawa intercepted and approached the three youngsters. He winked at them. "I can't leave two defenseless people alone."

He stared meaningfully at the lovebirds, and Mai hid her giggle. _Obviously, he just wanted to keep an eye on me and Claude! Your motives are too evident, Bou-san!_

They waited for Naru's response, but the ghost hunter just cogitated at the way Mai held and scanned Claude. There was something clenching inside Naru that he couldn't assimilate; indescribable sorrow swathed his whole being.

A few months before, after all, it was him who was held and gazed passionately by Mai like that.

_Sleeping beside Murakami-san...makes her so happy?_

It was as though, inwardly, he was being beaten into a bloody senseless pulp.

_This is...emotional pain...and regret?_

Every fiber of his being wanted to reject Mai's request, but he knew Mai would make a way to get what she wants. Besides, Mai had decided to make up for her slacking earlier, and, as her boss, he knew better than forgoing an employee to do her job just because she would be hanging out with somebody he dislikes while at it.

_Work is work_, Naru thought, so he turned to Takigawa with a cryptic expression. "You will join Murakami-san and Mai in watching the monitors. If there's any activity in the 'Poltergeist room,' call me. Do not get out of the base alone."

Puzzled, the monk jounced his head. "O...kay."

"Thank you, Shibuya-san," Claude smiled, and Naru just inclined his head sullenly. "Now that's settled, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No. If you've finished eating, you can start your work in here," Naru stood up and got out of the base wordlessly.

"That was faster than I'd expected," Claude commented.

Mai just jounced her head in wonder too. "Yeah...that was..."

_Was it my imagination?_

_Or...did Naru just become...soft?_

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**8:40-9:02pm**

The stinking tea addict made us retire early for the night. Somehow, he agreed to the compromise, although he still looked dissatisfied after Claude told him.

_But hell, I don't care._

Before starting our night watch, I waited for Claude and Bou-san to finish bathing in the all-boys room. Naru and Lin were not in sight as usual, so Yasuhara, John, and I played an adventure game in Yasuhara's laptop.

"Wha━! The keyboard controls aren't working!" I exclaimed. "Yasu, you changed it!"

I was in the middle of losing my last extra life.

"No, I didn't," Yasuhara chuckled. "You're just pressing the wrong keys, Mai."

"Wha━━"

My avatar collapsed, and the screen announced my loss. Pouting and glaring at John and Yasuhara who won all their turns except me, I crossed my arms. "You two were conniving against me, right?"

John lifted a corner of his mouth. "Mai-san that's━━"

"We're done," Bou-san declared, and we whipped our heads to them.

Frowning, I said, "You two took so long. Were you harrassing Claude, Bou-san?"

Bou-san ruffled my hair. "Hoi, hoi, stop suspecting me. Claude and I simply got carried away in our chat."

I made a moue. "You mean _**you**_ got carried away."

Bou-san sighed. "Really, Mai. I'm innocent!"

Now donning a crisp white shirt and blue jeans, Claude chuckled while rubbing his hair dry with a towel. "Bou-san didn't do anything wrong, Mai. He was quite charming and outspoken."

Yasuhara whistled. "Is it me or do I sense another love rival for my honey? So, me and Ayako weren't━"

"Shut up, shounen!" Bou-san's ears turned pink, and the rest of us laughed at his reaction while Claude blinked in wonder (I made a note to myself to tell him later).

"By the way, what did you do to the doll?" I asked randomly.

It was John who replied. "We burned it."

I nictitated. "There's no soul in it or something?"

Bou-san nodded. "None whatsoever. I couldn't feel anything when I saw it in the chapel."

I bit my lip.

"It was clearly a pawn, Mai," Claude reminded. "It was meant to warn us."

"What should we do? Even with Lin-san's shikis, I...admit I'm still afraid."

Bou-san patted my head. "That's why I'll be with you, right? I'm going to protect the two of you."

"Bou-san..."

He ruffled my hair again, now smiling. "Don't make that face. It'll be alright. We'll solve this case just like the others. Our discoveries aren't immediate, but we're slowly deciphering everything. We can do this, Mai, so don't fret."

Smilingly wanly, I nodded. "O...kay."

I still couldn't shake off the sense of foreboding though.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 3; 11:30 pm-DAY 4; 12:00 am**

_One, two, three, four down..._

While Bou-san and Claude did their duty, I had perused my parents' theses again.

I couldn't just seem to stop reading, and, somehow, I had no plan to. I was profoundly immersed and obsessed with my parents' works. It was as if in every laboratory experiment and study, I was there with them as some kind of spectator.

It was that extraordinary.

It's really peculiar because I never endured so much in reading scientific materials before. But━I guess I'm really just a biased reader━I surmised that I was just thrilled to read my parents' discoveries in the paranormal. Like, for example...

_There are symptoms for this ability:_

_They made it sound like it's a disease..._

(1.) Things become l━

Someone snorted and whinnied, and I flinched on my seat.

"Wha━?" I swished around and narrowed my eyes.

It was just Bou-san━_snorting and whinnying in his sleep?_

_What the heck?_

Claude fell asleep beside me too, but that was understandable.

_He must be very tired..._

I examined Claude's wristwatch and discovered that it's already half past 11.

_Whoaaa, how time flew by so briskly..._

Claude and I had decided to take turns in watching the monitors. Since he was sleep-deprived, I had told him to watch the monitors first; when it's near midnight, I would take over. Claude dissented, but I had told him that he needs to get a good rest. Bou-san also volunteered in watching the monitors with Claude...

_Or rather, watching Claude watching the monitors or me._

I squinted my eyes at the now silent Bou-san. _He's so transparent..._

I rubbed my eyes; they were getting blurry, and I was feeling sleepy then.

_This is why I don't read too much..._

Since my perusal was already cut short, I decided to make a new teapot of tea to awaken my senses for my midnight watch.

_It's going to be a tea-full night..._

Although Bou-san fell asleep, I was slightly assured of the presence of Lin-san's shikis; the diviner actually left them in all the inhabited rooms.

_Nothing's going to happen...right?_

I sighed, stretched, and satisfyingly heard the cracking of my strained bones.

Everything else aside, we were finally going somewhere in the case. _Sitting ghosts...huh._

I glanced at the monitors which displayed the view of the ring in the Poltergeist room.

_Still no activity..._

_This just proves that it's not human who's after us, right?_

Although, I knew that it's too early to conclude. That's why, I had to stay awake until everybody else outside the base comes in and tells me to have my own sleep.

_Which reminds me..._

I regarded Claude and Bou-san with a furrowing of brows.

_My two supposed knights fell asleep before me..._

_Leaving the 'princess' to fend for herself and protect them herself..._

_How roles changed..._

I chortled to myself.

Without further ado, I headed to the kitchen and boiled some water. Then, I simmered some mint leaves in the kettle.

_Ah...the aroma...so soothing..._

I glanced at Claude's slumbering figure and beamed.

_Osaka..._

I reddened.

_It's my first time to go to Osaka with my boyfriend..._

I never expected I would be going out with Claude, and I'd never expected I would start falling for him too. How random events turned so perfectly...

_Hmm...who was it who confessed first again?_

I dazed off to a fluffy memory of that one May day.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"You did well," Claude commended, and I grinned as I took my almost perfect worksheet.

"Then━?" I chirped.

Claude smirked and nodded. "Hai, hai. The promised movie. Got it."

He grabbed the remote he'd been hiding behind him and pressed a button. The enormous projector went down gradually.

"Yatta!" I gushed.

We were sitting, cross-legged, on the floor between the front seats and podium of the planetarium. Claude stood up, and he helped me straighten upright too.

"Ahhh, my foot is numbbb," I stretched, yawned, and staggered. "Ack! I think I'm having cramps!"

Claude held me steadily, sighed, and squinted his eyes. "Seriously?"

I pouted. "Of course, I'm serious!"

Shrugging, he bent down and gazed up at me. "Which?"

I flushed, and my heart pounded. I looked away hastily and said, "Both!"

It had been more than two weeks ever since Claude began tutoring me in his planetarium. Also, the day after our marriage meeting, I'd transferred into a cram school in Shibuya, and he became my substitute teacher.

Obaa-san had schemed everything very well indeed. But, I wouldn't deny that her tactics made me happy somehow.

_Because...within those two weeks, I...have slowly started to like someone else besides Naru._

And...the pain Naru gave me was gradually healing...

Because of Claude.

_Uwaaahhh_, I blushed as Claude massaged my cramped foot. _This is so embarrassing and━!_

I laughed. "Kami hahHaa! It tickles! Claude! Stop that! Haha! Iyaaa, hey, stop it!"

Claude halted and boffed. "You're quite ticklish, huh."

I pouted again. "Mohhh. Stop teasing! Geez."

He chuckled. "Yes, yes, Your Majesty."

I narrowed my eyes and made a moue. "Stop calling me that."

He smiled. "Hai, hai, Kaguya-hime."

I reddened, and he looked pleased.

"W-whatever!" I stammered, and he laughed as though there's no tomorrow. "Put the disc already! Moh!"

"Hai, hai!"

I was falling for him.

When I was with Claude, he always made me smile.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

I cried.

I didn't even notice the tears dripping down my face until the credits rolled.

_Holy kami..._

The movie moved me so much that my tears had flowed before I could be aware of them.

"Two strangers falling in love in just a few days. This movie is unrealistic and ridiculous," Claude remarked beside me.

I wiped my wet cheeks with my backhand and gazed at Claude to retort. Soon enough, I squinted my eyes at him.

"If it's so ridiculous and unrealistic, why are you crying?"

_Unbelievable!_

Nonplussed, Claude blinked, wiped his cheeks too, and smirked at me. "I was crying due to the cheesiness of the story."

I almost rolled on the floor laughing my head off.

"What's *haha* with that *haha* reasoning? You were *haha* obviously touched by the movie!" I was clutching my stomach then.

"It's incongruence! My body isn't cooperating with me!" he defended, pouting.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Disprove me with your brain."

He frowned and sheered, "Whatever. Anyway, it's just a movie. It's not like it'll happen in real life."

I completely halted my snickering and answered instinctively, "Yes it does."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How can you be so sure?"

I shrugged.

"Because within only seventeen days that I've come to know you, I've already fallen for you," I blurted intentionally.

Stupefied, Claude stared at me, and silence wrapped us.

I didn't blush.

I didn't look away.

It was the most natural confession I'd ever done.

_Will the cry of my heart reach him...?_

_Or...will it be discouraged once again?_

Just then, my phone rang, and I snapped out of my daze. That was when my conscious self re-emerged, and I felt the heat creep up my cheeks as I fumbled for my phone and checked the caller id.

_Oh my Kami-sama!_

_What did I just say?_

_I just confessed to another guy!_

_Holy-cow-grazing-on-the-freaking-fields!_

I tried to register the name on the caller id, and I'd probably stared for too long. When I finally got it processed in my brain, I blinked.

"Naru..."

I checked the time and bit my lip. _Crap! I'm late for my job!_

I hurriedly chucked my worksheets and pen in my school bag. Somehow, within those two weeks, it had always been like that; I always had to be hasty but still arrived late.

_I...tend to forget Naru and my SPR duties when I'm with Claude._

I reverted my attention to my ringing phone and motioned to press the answer button, but Claude grasped my wrist.

I reddened. "Clau━"

"Don't," he uttered and fixed me a penetrating gaze. "Don't answer him, Mai."

His eyes had this glint...of a jealous man.

"Bu━"

"Be with me, Mai," he interrupted me with an inscrutable look. "Be my girlfriend."

Stunned, I gaped at him.

He didn't laugh afterwards like before, and my heart was shot by Cupid's pesky arrow again. But, this time, it didn't hurt.

With him clasping my wrist, we remained still for a very long moment.

Truthfully, we knew each other for only a short span of time. But, just within those seventeen days, we'd come to know each other as though innate friends or lovers.

_The person I want to be with...isn't Naru anymore._

I didn't believe in superstition or fate anymore.

I had fought for my love with Naru. But, Naru didn't choose me.

Still, it wasn't the end of the world.

I had fallen for someone again; this time, it would probably progress deeper than my love for Naru. So, I'd decided not to hold back from this newly found harbinger of love.

Smiling blissfully, I responded, "Yes. I'll be with you, Claude."

_This...is how it feels to be accepted?_

In result, I didn't go to SPR headquarters that day.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

I flushed at the reminiscence as I habitually filled my teacup to the brim.

_I even begged Obaa-san to lie for me...to make up an excuse and tell Naru about my absence at that one time..._

_So emb━_

"You're still awake."

I squeaked, and I would have scalded myself (although I might not feel it) if I didn't hold the kettle away from me and let it pour on the floor like an elephant's watering nozzle.

It was Naru: the enemy I didn't want to meet.

I glared at him but kept my silence.

_I won't speak to you!_

I turned away from him and lodged the kettle down on the counter before wiping the wet floor with a thick paper towel.

_Why is he here?_

_What the hell does he want with me now?_

_Jeez! Can't I have a break from him for a whole day?_

When I finished wiping, I persisted to disregard him as he leaned on the kitchen door frame.

_Shoo, shoo! Get out of my sight for now!_

As expected though, my silent treatment didn't work.

"He's quite unreliable," Naru commented haughtily, glancing at Claude's sleeping form in front of the monitors.

Now that did it.

I slammed my hand on the counter, glowered with deep loathing, and gritted menacingly, "Claude _**came here **__**despite the fact that he didn't sleep well for many days straight**__._ He came here _**immediately **_when he heard from Tenura-san that I was missing. He's not reliable? Ha! He's_** more reliable than you**_!"

Naru glared back, and I returned it with equal intensity.

_How can you say bad things about Claude? He didn't even do anything wrong to you!_

Astonishingly, he looked away. "I see nothing great about that guy."

I scoffed. "I'm not asking for your opinion, and I see _**nothing great about you**_. So, you don't have the right to bad-mouth my boyfriend!"

"Mai━"

"Stop it!" I fired. "Stop saying bad things about Claude when you don't know anything about him!"

Right then, I hated Naru so much that I didn't want to be with him at the moment.

_How can he act like this?_

Naru was taciturn for a few minutes. Then, he approached me and took my filled teacup. He sipped a little and soughed.

_Stinking tea addict!_

I didn't want to be near him, so I began striding out of the kitchen.

But he held my arm.

"Stop avoiding me, Mai."

I really wanted to slap his face with my germ-infested-floor-and-tea-contaminated hand right then. I shot katanas at him, but he looked at me with the same imperceptibly pained and baffled look. I pulled my arm out of his grasp, but I didn't move out.

_Why? How can he sway my heart at this instant?_

"Why...why are you like this, Naru?" I didn't gaze at him.

"I already told you the reason," he replied quietly.

"I don't believe _**that**_."

He sighed. "You...like that guy very much?"

"Unlike you, he _**doesn't call me an idiot**_."

That shut him up.

For a while, at least.

"He _**treats me as a girl**_," I carried on inexorably. "He _**doesn't insult me**_ or _**say rude words to me**_. He _**treats me specially**_, unlike you."

He narrowed his imponderable eyes, but he remained voiceless.

"He _**can be honest**_ too, unlike you," I gruffly kept on.

"I _**am**_ honest." He squinted his eyes more than ever.

"You're a great _**liar**_," I growled.

"Mai━"

"You're too late Naru." I gazed at him resolutely. "So stop playing with me."

"I've told you the truth━"

"Ha! Truth? Come to think of it, when did you ever tell me truths about you?" I scowled. "You always hide things, Naru. You always isolate yourself. You're always protecting yourself from getting hurt, _**you spineless git**_!"

_Ahh...I'm indeed becoming more evil than ever..._

But, it was all true.

I was blinded by my love for Naru. Although I was hurting, I endured his bad personality. Although I was hurting, I continued loving him.

_But, I'm not a superhuman._

_Enough is enough._

_Who can live hurting forever?_

I couldn't, so I'd decided; I would shun Naru from my life. I would move on and fall deeper for Claude. I was very cognizant, then, that humans choose who they love because they choose who they'll be exposed to and who they'll get to know with. I couldn't get closer to Naru even after two years. I never would, so evil girl incarnate I should be━if it's the only way I could stop loving him.

Naru stared at me for another long moment, as though waging a war with himself...

Then...

"I know." He nodded solemnly and guiltily. "I'm sorry."

_If you apologize like that...I have no choice but to become a bad person more than ever._

I nictated but looked away again. "Isn't it fine this way? I won't bother you anymore, so shouldn't you be happy?"

"I'm not happy."

"You━!"

"I'm being _**honest**_," he riposted with the same unfathomable look.

Wanting to retort but couldn't think of anything to say, I bit my lip.

_Why?_

I averted my eyes. "There are no disadvantages for you, Naru, so there's no logical reason for you to be unhappy."

"There is."

"Wha━?" I nictated.

"The truth is that I think..."

He hesitated and shrugged.

I narrowed my eyes. "Think what?"

_That you love playing with my feelings?_

_That I'm so easy to toy with?_

_That I'm such an idiot that's why you're having fun with tormenting me?_

_How many times have you hurt me, Naru?_

_How many times will you hurt me?_

He fixed me a poignant stare, as though piercing my soul...and my heart. Again, he was doing it: drowning me in his gorgeous azure pools.

_No, I won't be fooled again._

_I won't be enraptured by those eyes ever again._

_You...I won't let you hurt me again, Naru._

I gazed at him gutsily and shot, "Think what?"

"I think..." he drawled with the sincerest face I'd ever seen on him, "I'm smitten with you."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"_**Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what it loves."**_

_**~Blaise Pascal~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**C**ogito, **E**rgo **S**um= I think, therefore I am


	12. Reminiscence

**A/N: Again, a punctuation, like a very long dash, may be lost in this one (it's the ffnet doc manager defect). So, some words may be ending or sticking together inappropriately. I'm currently revising the previous chapters of this one, and I'll be rewriting Reminiscence too. I can't believe that there are still people who read Reminiscence and this story despite the AWFUL grammatical errors I just noticed now. I'm very sorry for such EPIC flaws. T_T I'm very happy that you readers endured so much in reading my ERRONEOUS stories! T_T That's why, I'm going to revise all my stories for nth times and make reading comfortable for everyone. ^^**

* * *

**Terms beforehand; **

**Tsundere=a type of personality wherein one is hostile or cold to another person at first meeting but soon warms up to that person later on.**

**Ramen=wheat noodles with meat, poultry, or fish broth, condiments, some vegetables, eggs, and meat or poultry slices**

* * *

**Review **

He fixed me a poignant stare, as though piercing my soul...and my heart. Again, he was doing it: drowning me in his gorgeous azure pools.

_No, I won't be fooled again._

_I won't be enraptured by those eyes ever again._

_You...I won't let you hurt me again, Naru._

I gazed at him gutsily and shot, "Think what?"

"I think..." he drawled with the sincerest face I'd ever seen on him. "I'm smitten with you."

**End of Review**

* * *

**YOUHAVESUCHAWRONGTIMINGNARU!~nya~**

"_**Love can find an entrance not only into an open heart but also into a heart well-fortified if watch be not kept."**_

_**~Unknown~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**DAY 4; 12:05 am**

Naru didn't look at me with amorous eyes like those uber-romantic and passionate guys (who made me puke with their cheesiness) in movies. Instead, he had on an indescribable, serious expression. He didn't say it in some unbelievably inconceivable heart-what-the-hell-ing poem reading or apparent TV script either: no sugar (glucose, maltose, or fructose whatnot) coating at all. He just said it in straightforward and understandable words with the sincerest eyes, which abruptly pawned those damned passionate actors who made all girls swoon.

I was dumbfounded. Suuuuuper thunderstruck. My mind becoming dysfunctional, I was gawking. He was that powerful; his words were that strong in effect.

_Smitten...with...me?_

_Naru...is?_

I couldn't speak. It was as though my tongue was cut off.

_How come he does this to me all the time?_

_Is he a silencer or something?_

But, that wasn't the point. I couldn't tell if I blushed or not, but I probably did. I mean...who wouldn't when the guy they love for two years finally told them that he feels the same way?

_Who wouldn't?_

Heck, if I knew someone who wouldn't flush in such a situation, I would have prepared myself for the current paralysis Naru had caused to my body at that instance.

_He's...in love with me?_

Just then, Claude's face came to my mind, and I was de-frozen magically. Flashes of memories with Claude invaded my head, and I reminisced everything: Claude's smiles, his laughs as we rode his bike, the slurping sounds he makes when eating ramen, the sly look he makes as he splashed pool water on me during my birthday, the way he tilts his head as he leans over to kiss me...

Claude had become very important to me; I didn't want to lose him.

_No..._

I was finally able to close my eyes and blow out the over-held air.

_No..._

_Naru...is not smitten with me._

_Everything...is just an illusion..._

_He's a **narcissist**. He will always be._

I opened my eyes and said conclusively, "You just _**think**_ you love me; you're _**uncertain**_ that you love me."

"My thoughts are always certain, Mai." He looked askance.

He was appealing to me. He was looking at me with eyes full of...yearning amidst his stoic and emotionless face. It was the first time I saw him look at me like that, and Naru's eyes had always shown his real emotions, which he would usually overshadow with a cold countenance.

_Why...do your eyes show so much emotion towards me? _

At that moment, I regretted knowing how to read his emotions through his eyes.

_I...regret knowing that...what Naru had_ _professed might be true._

"W-what? Did you hit your head or something?" I shot evasively, "Have you gone insane?"

Naru just ogled at me unfathomably before jouncing his head. "Maybe I have."

I stared at him.

_Why? Why are you taking it seriously? Why are you looking so sincere? WHY?_

I discovered, then, what Naru's inscrutable expression resembled; it was as though he was stabbed somewhere or as though he was stung. It was an expression...I'd never thought he would make...

I shook my head.

No.

No. No. No!

"You don't love me; you _**tolerate**_ me." I glared at Naru vehemently. "Stop lying to me."

There was that again━the unfeelingness replacing my emotions.

He blinked but then narrowed his eyes. "I'm not lying to━"

"Shut up!" I exclaimed, clenching my fists. "Don't joke with me about these things!"

He glowered. "I wasn't━"

"You are!" Then, realizing that Bou-san and Claude might wake up, I hissed in a lower voice, "Because_** if you really do love me**_, you _**won't hurt me**_ so much. Because if you really do love me, you would _**treat me as someone special **_and not someone like trash!"

He didn't speak but just gazed at me with imperceptible pain.

I knew that what I said wasn't wholly true. Naru had never treated me as dross. He could be pretty irksome...but he'd never really intended to hurt me. The special part was entirely true, though...

So, how could he profess that he loves me?

Seconds passed, and minutes flew.

_I wish I could un-hear what he'd said. I wish I'd slept earlier_ _so __that I wouldn't be figuratively sandwiched on the counter like this..._

"I'm sorry," he finally uttered, and I did hear sincerity in it. But, my heart had hardened, and it wouldn't forgive so easily now. So, I didn't reply.

Naru suspired. "I'm only telling you the truth. I'm not forcing you to accept it."

I nictated. _What?_

"You━"

As fast as a mongoose, Naru had slightly closed the gap between us, and he had pinned me gently by the kitchen counter while still leaving inches of space between us. I was literally sandwiched then. For a moment, he was perplexed like I was; it was as though it wasn't his intention to corner me at all, but his body just moved in its own accord. Our eyes had widened in astonishment, but he soon narrowed his orbs and drew closer in...determination. His right hand, then, was near my left waist and atop the counter's edge while his left hand had tucked a stray hair strand of mine behind my right ear, and...

He kissed me...on the forehead again.

It was unfair. The world was so unfair.

_Why did you say that you love me right now?_

_Why now?_

_Why are you always doing things inopportunely?_

_WHY?_

Although I couldn't feel his forehead kiss...

Although I couldn't feel anything at all...

_Why is my heart reacting?_

_Why is it swaying?_

_Why is it...mentally racing?_

I didn't have to feel the heat from my cheeks to tell that I was erubescent. Nor did I have to feel my heart beating in order to tell it had rapidly pumped up blood. I just knew that my body was betraying me again.

It was unfair. Everything was unfair.

"I'm sorry," he breathed and ogled at me straightforwardly. "You were always there with me...so I thought that wouldn't change...But I was wrong. I'm sorry, Mai."

It was that look again━that look that made me blush and filled me with extreme euphoria after Yasu's school's case years ago. The apologetic-but-cute look...

Why? Why was he admitting his error? Where was his righteous and know-it-all self? Where was the narcissist whom I was angry with all the time? How...could a man who's usually so cold...look so gentle and nice and...sweet? How could a man like Naru be such a contradiction of himself?

_Stop it._ I gritted my teeth. _Stop apologizing! Stop caring!_

"Don't..." I started with a low growl. "Don't me━"

"Mai-san, are you━?" John entered the kitchen and flushed when he saw Naru and me.

"S-sorry!" The young priest began to leave hastily.

"No, John, you can stay!" I hollered and loured at Naru. "_**Shibuya-san**_ was just about to leave."

"But..." John was reluctant at the doorway.

"You're very sleepy, right, _**Naru**_?" I fixed my eyes at him meaningfully.

_You're a narcissist._

_So...please stay that way._

_Please...while it's early...give up on me, Naru._

_Or else...or else I might be tempted to return to your side again._

Thankfully, the narcissist got the point and spoke to John, "Stay, Brown-san. I just finished my tea."

He strode off_,_ and I reflexively stuck my tongue out behind him. _How dare you jest with me!_

John saw it_. _"I-is it really alright for me to stay? I-I didn't mean to interrupt..."

I bobbed my head.

"It's okay, John. He was really leaving when you arrived," I lied.

"O-okay..."

John was still somehow tensed, so I offered him some tea. He accepted, and I poured some on a clean teacup for him. Thankfully, he didn't begin asking questions about what happened.

_I think he guessed that I don't want to talk about it..._

I wanted to divert myself from thinking about Naru's confession; it still left me quite stunned even if I'd unhesitatingly told him that he's messing with me. So, in order to distract myself, I whipped to John and spoke without thinking, "John, have you ever been in love?"

John's eyes broadened at me, and his cheeks turned pink. My tactlessness was to my late realization.

_Oh dang! What did I just ask to a priest?_

I waved my hands frantically. "Y-you don't have to answer that, John! Sorry!"

John blinked and then smiled. "It's alright, Mai-san."

It was my turn to blink. _Huh...?_

Since my curiosity suddenly awakened and since I'd already uttered the question, I said quizzically, "You've...fallen in love before?"

John jounced his head unabashedly to my bewilderment. "Yes."

I bit my lip and kicked my ludicrous mind. _Stupid Mai! Of course he did! John's a nice guy! Of course he might have fallen for someone before he became a priest! Besides, a lot might have fawned over him!_

"W-what was her name? What was she like?" I inquisitively questioned.

John cannily turned his teacup clockwise on his palm and gazed at it in retrospect. "Her name was Pauline. She was strong and kind-hearted. Unlike the girls I knew with the same age, she loved to go outside and play with boys. She even fought with her playmates sometimes."

Fascinated, I ogled at John. _Whoaaa...So John digs tomboyish girls?_

"Did you tell her about what you feel for her?"I pried.

John nodded coyly. "I did."

I was amazed then. "What happened?"

"She punched me."

_Ack!_

My jaw dropped. "What?"

_He digs tsundere girls?_

John beamed. "She was surprised. She thought I was picking on her."

I gulped. _Umm...how come that situation sounds so eerily familiar? Minus the punch, though..._

I joggled my head.

"T-then?" I pressed on.

"We dated for some time."

I wow-ed and then nictated. "W-wait...If you dated...why did you decide to become a priest?"

John was silent at first, and then his voice was...sorrowful and hurt. "She died."

_Oh no, oh no, oh no!_

I stammered, "Tha-that's..."

John sadly lifted a corner of his mouth. "She...was possessed by demons."

I gasped, "D-demons?"

_This is cruel! I shouldn't have asked!_

"There were ten of them, using her alternately..."

"Tha-that's enough, John! It's okay! You don't have to say more! Sorry!" I waved my hands forward.

_So...that's why he became a priest..._

John nictated at me, shook his head, and then bowed apologetically. "It was me who got carried away. I'm sorry, Mai-san..."

I succussed my head. "No. You didn't do anything wrong! It was me who was tactless!"

Silence reigned upon us, and I pondered about Pauline...and couldn't help reckoning that John's love was very real compared to my love for Naru.

_To become a priest because of the girl you love._.._To not look for somebody else to love because, as Obaa-san had said last May, "There is one love you will never forget..."_

John's loyalty was both hard-core and amaranthine. His loyalty...was very immense compared to mine...

I had thought I understood what loving really means. But, it turned out that I still couldn't. I still had a long way to go.

"I...don't mean to hurt you, John, but...I just can't help thinking that...compared to your love for Pauline...my love for Naru is...an illusion," I admitted.

I felt pathetic and superficial. I conceived then that everything I knew about love was just my own fantasy. I was biased and one-sided. I was...an epic failure.

John lodged his teacup down on the counter and looked at me in wonder. "Why do you think like that, Mai-san?"

"Well...isn't it in one of those 'veers'...?"

"Verses?" John supplied and I nodded.

"Yeah, that...isn't it in one of your verses? Something about love not being selfish? I don't know the whole paragraph but something along that line...Can you dictate it?"

John acceded. " 'Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres...' It's from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 of the Holy Bible."

"Yes, that." I nodded and smiled slightly. "My love for Naru...is far from all those descriptions...It's the opposite of what you felt for Pauline, John. I...no matter how I tried hard not to be selfish...I still turn out as such. My love for Naru...don't you think it's fake, John?"

I stared at him hopefully, and he blinked for a while before responding, "I...don't think your love for Shibuya-san is fake."

I nictitated. "What...do you mean?"

"It's true that love is not selfish, not impatient, and so on...But," John smiled at me, "that is _**God's love**_, Mai-san. Unlike Him, we're imperfect and so is our love."

I was confused. _Isn't love...said to be perfect?_

John shook his head as though he pored over my mind and heard my unspoken question.

"Sometimes, we exaggerate things, and love is one of them." John shrugged. "Love is all good...I think it's such a stereotypical idea because such an idea ignores our flaws as humans. I think that a love that is all good feelings...such pureness...is make-believe for us because we are not God, Mai-san. Even saints aren't that pure. I believe...that love is both good and bad although my religion and my profession refute such line of thought."

It was the first time that John spoke to me like that...So...un-priest-like and all...

I examined the kettle on the counter. "Still...my love is far from real, John...What I feel for Naru may just be an illusion after all..."

John shrugged again. "I...I think...the fact that _**you're trying**_ to be selfless, patient, and so on...means that your love is true."

I goggled at John. _My...love for Naru is true...? I...don't know what to believe anymore._

Just then, out of nowhere, I heard the Ghostbusters theme song play, and John winced and became rosy once more. He fumbled in his pockets and found his cellphone ringing with the song playing.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Who changed your ringtone like that?"

John, abashed, smiled helplessly. "It's most likely Yasuhara-san."

_Yasu, really!_

Still sniggering, I queried, "Come to think of it, why did you go here this late at night, John? You don't usually come to base just for midnight tea."

_Alone too..._

"Yasuhara-san was pillow-fighting."

I spluttered and howled in laughter. "Not with Lin-san, possibly?"

_Yasu, really!_

John beamed. "The last time I checked, it was with Lin-san's shikis."

I laughed out loud at that but soon covered my mouth to muffle my noise after remembering that Bou-san and Claude were still sleeping outside the kitchen.

_So that's why the narcissist came to the base!_

...

_Or maybe not._

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**3:00-3:07 am**

Naru narrowed his eyes when he saw Lin leaning on the wall beside the door to their room.

"You're still awake." Naru frowned.

Lin just replied emotionlessly, "You roamed carelessly alone again."

Naru didn't respond, but then his eyes lit with comprehension. He glowered accusingly at the Chinese man. "You were eavesdropping."

There followed the rarest and briefest of shrugs from the onmyouji.

"I had to order my shikis to tail you." Lin smirked. "It was not to my pleasure to hear your confession; although, it did pique my interest. However, I'd thought that you could have done better."

Naru arched his eyebrow. "So you're saying that you did well more than me?"

Lin lifted a corner of his mouth craftily. "I did _**excellent**_ when I was your age."

"Hn," a rare grunt from the young boss was audible. "That's hardly a reason to wait outside."

"I had thought that you might need some consolation."

Naru glared. "There's no need to bother."

Lin blinked and then chuckled━another thing that was infrequent. The Chinese man was indeed enjoying his teasing of the (former) narcissist.

Naru squinted his eyes. "I'd never thought that solacement is one of your expertise."

"It isn't, but observing the slow cessation of your density is." Lin jounced his head.

Floored, Naru blinked. "You...initially noticed that I'm _**enamored**_ with her?"

The young man could not believe his own unpunctual enlightenment.

"I believe my congratulation is belated." Lin leered.

Naru glared, but then, after a few seconds, he soughed. "Go to sleep, Lin."

"So you've given up?" Lin elevated his eyebrow, and Naru rubbernecked at the Chinese man who stated the same thing he'd queried to Mai before.

Then...

"I have no intention to," Naru riposted and thereafter swung open the door to their room before vanishing in sight.

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

I didn't know when I fell asleep, but it was probably after I bid John a good night. All I could remember was that I plopped down on the couch and then...

I was in a cage. It was like a large bird cage made of stainless steel.

Only there was no bird.

_This is...a tower?_

Outside the cage was a circular room; it seemed like the cage was situated approximately in the middle. The floor was the same as in Kou-san's tower: hard and made of stone. The walls were pale yellow also, but there were no paintings or paint smudges. Instead, a winding staircase was adjacent to the wall and went all the way up the tower. On the ceiling was a huge red spider lily blossom, so eerie to gaze up at.

Oddly, unlike in current reality, I could feel the coldness in that particular tower.

I stepped aback and almost tripped...

Then I squeaked and paled.

_...A hand?_

I was going to shriek when I noticed that it's actually a life-size doll's hand. Becoming cognizant, I swiveled and descried numerous full-bodied life-size dolls filling up most of the space of the cage. They were piled on top of another like a hill of fire wood. Their ivory skins shone like porcelain, and some had delicately carved human features while others had flat blocks for head and body. On another, there was a rectangular solid made of limestone in the center of the cage. On the stone was an almost finished doll...

_The doll that attacked Rika and me!_

Its lips weren't painted yet, but its eyes were the same...spine-tingling orbs.

On the foot of the stone was a lacquered trolley full of tools, sharp and shiny and...

"Drink this. It's good for your health."

I flinched and whipped my head around towards the voice.

My eyes expanded.

I didn't notice Midoriko, sitting on my right side of the cage and clinging to a grille. Smiling and nodding, she extended a hand to a foggy figure standing outside of the cage, and I saw her grasping a mug that's handed by the unknown figure.

I scrunched my eyes. _Why can't I see the person...?_

I could only make out a silhouette, but it wasn't good either; I couldn't identify if it was a man or a woman.

Midoriko motioned to sip from the mug, and I abruptly felt a foreboding sensation.

"No, don't drink that Midoriko!" I yawped, but she didn't hear me.

Midoriko had already gulped it down her throat.

"It's warm. Thank you." She beamed.

_No! You're going to die!_

"Mido━!" I took a step, and the background changed.

I was back in Kou-san's tower.

"Wha━?"

There were clamorous banging sounds on the walls, and I placed both of my hands to my ears.

_Where━What's━?_

A cacophonous boom reverberated, and on my right, fireflies streamed in from the walls.

I was aghast. _Not again!_

I wanted to run, but I was frozen on the spot. The sweat that trickled down my face and the iciness that lingered everywhere (how ironic that I could feel in the dream world but not in reality) made me panic then. _Why can't I move?_

I stared, horrified, as more fireflies flew inside the tower through the walls and began forming...

Into a giant snake.

_No!_

The formed creature coiled, and I understood how the servants died then.

_Move it! _I tried to move my legs but still couldn't.

_Move it! I don't want to die!_

The enormous snake's tail was finishing its form, and I could tell that it would strike swiftly when it's finished. Fear soon engulfed my entire being.

_No! I can't die!_

Yet, the snake's tail was complete, and the snake's agile head swooped down towards me with its mouth wide open and fangs borne.

"IYAAAAA!" I screamed shrilly.

And I was swept off from the floor.

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**7:00-7:05 am**

"What's wrong, Lin?" Takigawa probed the Chinese man.

The monk had just finished his breakfast, and only the onmyouji was in the base besides the still sleeping Mai.

_Where did Mai's boyfriend go? _the monk wondered.

Claude had woken up before him and told him to have his breakfast while the swain would guard Mai and watch the monitors. Though he was against it at first, the monk was too hungry to think of anything as point of argument. So, he'd conceded.

_Where did he go? Breakfast?_

Shrugging, he reverted his attention to the onmyouji who finally regarded him with a humorless expression.

"The monitors showing the Poltergeist room are in static."

"What?" Takigawa blinked. "When did it start...?"

"4:44 am."

"Wha━does Naru-bou know?"

"I still have to tell him."

"I see...What about Mai's boyfriend?"

"He and Naru went somewhere."

The monk blinked again. _Went somewhere...?_

"Wait, will they be alright going without...?"

"I'd asked my shikis to tail them," Lin replied.

"Ah..." The monk scratched his head. _Why are they together at a time like this...?_

An idea came to him, and his eyes widened. _Aha! Don't tell me...a face off?_

The monk stared at Mai's slumbering figure.

_To be young..._

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**7:03-7:13 am**

"What do you want to talk about?" Naru asked the fair-haired young man in front of him.

"I've heard you yesterday," Claude replied with a frown.

Naru shrugged and narrowed his eyes. "So?"

When the young boss had stepped in the base with Lin earlier, Claude invited the former to converse in private. It was Mai's boyfriend who led him to the second floor and to Mai's designated room.

_So this is a confrontation. _The former narcissist smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Well? What about it?"

"Stop misleading my girlfriend." Claude glared.

Glowering back, Naru spoke, "I'm doing nothing of the sort━"

"Stop hurting her," Claude growled. "If you're playing with her feelings again, stop it already. Until how much pain are you going to give her? There are other girls, so aim for your sadistic satisfaction to them rather than Mai."

The narcissist took a gander at him before remarking, "So you can be possessive, huh."

Claude loured. "Mai is Mai. She's neither mine nor yours. I love her, and I won't let you hurt her anymore."

_Stop making her suffer. _Claude looked strongly at him, but Naru didn't reply...because, inwardly, he knew; Claude had said the truth. He'd always made Mai cry. He...had always hurt her. But, unlike him, Claude made Mai happy; he made a different side of Mai emerge. He made her more cheerful than Naru had ever seen her. Yet Naru...only made her sad and cry. He only brought misery to Mai's life.

"Don't worry," Naru responded. "I have no intention of hurting her any further. But, I have no intention of giving up, either."

The former narcissist decided resolutely right then that he would make Mai happier.

Claude scrunched his eyes. "If you're play━"

"I'm not playing around." Naru shook his head and added forthrightly, "_**I am**_ smitten with her."

Claude gazed at him with a measuring look. Naru couldn't help but recall his deceased brother then; Gene would usually look at him unblinkingly just to ascertain that he was being earnest at what he'd said.

Naru closed and opened his eyes and shunted his head from the blond guy. _Gene...huh._

Finally finished with his scrutiny, Claude narrowed his eyes and declared testily, "If you're really serious about it, fine. Let's fight squarely then."

The fair-haired young man peregrinated out of the chamber, and Naru examined the ceiling and closed his eyes once again. The slamming of the door brought an end to his obstinate facade.

_Fight squarely...huh? She...already chose you, though. She has...already fallen for you._

Regret was eating him away. How many chances had he ignored? He knew he was too late. He knew that, with the way things were at that moment, Mai would never stare lovingly at him ever again. But, he couldn't give up that easily. He wouldn't give up that easily.

_A spineless git huh...How pathetically true._

Before, when things might become painful, he would do his best to avoid the precursor of such emotion. But now, he'd had enough of hiding in his ego boundary. He'd had enough of protecting something that didn't have to be protected in the first place. He'd decided; he would fight for the long-ago alien and novel feeling inside of him. He would fight even if it would bring him pain...Pain he'd never welcomed until Mai came to his life. Pain...resulted by the realization that Mai wasn't by his side anymore. Pain...which Mai's absence had taught him.

How come he'd never noticed before? The more he denied his humanity, the more Mai unnoticeably made him feel human.

_So...this...is how **love feels like? **This is the feeling...Mai had harbored for me...and the feeling that I unthinkingly rejected._

"Idiot," he mumbled.

It wasn't for others anymore; it was a word for his pathetic and loathsome self.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**8:00-8:20 am**

When Naru came back to the base, everyone had already gathered and consumed their breakfast. Mai remained asleep, so Naru ordered everyone, except Claude and Lin, to wend with him to the Poltergeist room. Armed with crowbars, they wrenched off the plywood they'd nailed to the door and windows. Soon, the velvet curtains were the only obstacle.

"With this, we'll finally know who or what, right?" Ayako queried skeptically.

Naru just nodded. "There is no margin of error."

The young boss extended a hand, gripped the side of the curtain, and slid it aside. Ayako and Masako gasped while the others broadened their eyes in shock.

"Impossible..." Takigawa murmured and turned to the former narcissist. "Naru-bou, what does this━?"

"How can this happen?" Ayako exclaimed.

There were mutters of baffled agreement, but the narcissist stayed taciturn. However, inwardly, he was cogitating.

_Why...?_

_How come everything moved?_

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

"Mai!"

I opened my eyes and found myself in Gene's arms.

Blushing, I stammered, "Wha━Gene, how━?"

The snake had missed after all, and its head crumbled away into individual fireflies for a moment.

"No time!" he riposted, and it was then that I fathomed that he was running with me cupped in his arms.

I blanched. _But there's no escape!_

The door was behind the giant snake, and the snake's head was coming into shape again!

"Ge━"

I turned to where Gene was heading and was then face to face with a painting's surface.

_I'm going to━!_

I scrunched my eyes, but we didn't crash on the wall. When I felt Gene land on a ground, I opened my eyes, and I was in the same tulip garden I'd nestled in the afternoon...

Gene put the stunned me down, and I couldn't help but fling my arms over his neck.

"Gene!"

I was so relieved; I forgot that he had the same face as Naru and that looking at him should have been infuriating.

"I'm sorry I arrived a little late." Gene patted my back.

I pulled apart and shook my head. "No. You were just in time! Thank you!"

Gene smiled feebly. "Are you alright? You're not hurt?"

I bobbed and succussed my head and uttered, "I should be the one asking you! You were hurt last time because of me!"

Gene just elevated a corner of his mouth. "I'm already dead, Mai."

I frowned. "Don't say that so easily! Honestly! You and Naru are the same!"

He blinked at my outburst, and I kicked my mind. _What did I just say? Of course, they're not the same!_

"W-what I meant Gene was━" I tried to correct, but Gene interrupted me.

"It's okay, Mai," Gene said softly, and I bit my lip.

I was reminded, then, of Naru's sincere face when he said he's smitten with me. He...looked more like Gene then...sincere and...gentle...

I shook my head. _Erase! Erase!_

"Mai?" Gene called. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" I said, a little loudly, but it didn't matter.

He sighed. "That was close."

I nictated and nodded. Then, I asked, "Gene...what was that...? The one that chased us?"

"It's just one of its lackeys, Mai."

"Lackeys?" I blinked, horrified. "Its?"

Gene nodded. "A sinister being. Be careful. It...takes advantage of people's desires..."

"W-what does it want? Why is it using many souls?"

Gene shook his head. "I don't know, but...it's very powerful and...all-knowing, Mai. So, block your mind."

"Block my mind?" I nictated again. "What do you━?"

"Protect your mind," Gene elucidated. "It could manipulate you."

I was dawned with understanding. "You mean...it could manipulate people? Is it human, Gene?"

Gene joggled his head. "I can't tell, but...it's like a clown. It's pretentious yet smart, Mai."

I swallowed. "Naru...had said that all the souls weren't manipulated, but...they were following someone for one desire. But...what are we supposed to do? How can we know what drives them to kill people?"

"Do a spirit invocation," Gene advised. "It's the best way for you to find out what made the souls follow the one giving them orders. When you know the reason, you could persuade them to be purified. Noll should know what to do to purify this place, but he's probably stalling because of the lack of information. Mai, you should finish this case very soon. Tell Noll not to worry about not getting the whole picture about the castle's history. The safety of everyone is more important."

I bit my lip while nodding. Quiescence enveloped us, and we didn't speak as a gentle breeze swept past. The tulips swayed harmonically, and the wind whispered something to my ears. Remembering my parents' theses, I whizzed to Gene. "PK...how were you two able to control it, Gene?"

Gene blinked at my random query before showing a lopsided smile. "Visualization."

"Visualization?" I nictitated and Gene nodded. "How?"

"We think of ourselves as farmers."

I gaped at him. "Farmers? Of all things?"

He jounced his head. "We imagine PK energy as a seed that we throw towards each other. It's not really like real planting though, but every time we throw it back and forth between us, we imagine the seed growing larger, stronger."

I blinked. "I see..."

Naru...must have...disliked depending on Gene...

"Aren't you even harmed when you're amplifying Naru's power, Gene?"

He lifted a corner of his mouth. "The side effects of using both positive and negative kinds of ki cancel out each other. That's why...Noll having only one strong kind is perilous for him."

"I-I have one kind too..."

"Your ESP's ki is there to balance it, Mai; albeit, not all the side effects are eliminated. Noll's ki from his ESP...is weak while the ki from your PK and ESP are contesting with one another and are as strong as you are."

I flushed at the compliment. "T-that's━"

Gene cracked a smile. "It's all in the state of mind, Mai."

I ogled at him, soughed, and shunted my head. "I'm not that strong, Gene. If I was...I could have wrapped Naru around my finger already..."

I was flustered afterwards. _What am I saying? _My mind and body were really random...

Gene boffed. "By the sound of it, my brother's being a jerk again?"

I blinked and then laughed. If Gene...was still alive, we would have been conniving pals against Naru. If only...if only...

"Gene...do you think...Naru...can fall in love with someone...?" I inquired out of nowhere again. In the dream world, I felt the heating of my cheeks. _Idiot! Why are you asking embarrassing questions?_

Gene pondered at my random question though, and I must admit that I did wait for his response; what Naru said, after all, was still nagging my head.

"Noll might project an I-only-love-myself aura, but he does care deeply for others," Gene replied, beaming. "However, when it comes to emotions, he can only have hindsight."

I had a gander at Gene in confusion and bit my lip again. _But, he couldn't...right? Naru's not in love with me, right?_

Even in dreams, my love woes still pursued me.

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**12:13-12:25 pm**

I woke up and met confounded faces.

"...ren't attacking, right?" It was Bou-san. "It's been bothering me lately. It's like they're waiting for something. Although only one person has gone missing from the servants ever since we arrived, don't you think that whatever is behind all of this is being pretty laidback?"

"Besides that, how can everything move?" That was Ayako. "I mean, doesn't this prove that everyone in this castle has power? You said there's no margin of error, right? We're clearly being toyed around here!"

_Everything...moved? _I goggled at the miko. _No way! At the Poltergeist room?_

"Now, now, Ayako-san..." John's voice was soft as usual.

"In any case," Yasuhara spoke, "no matter how you look at it, it's unbelievable. Boss, has there ever been an instance like this?"

"No," Naru said calmly. "However, this kind of result...there is something wrong about it."

"So you accept you were wrong about your method having no error at all?" Ayako scoffed.

"No." Naru smirked. "But something is trying to outsmart us."

"What do you mean, Kazuya-kun?" Masako queried.

" 'It must be the dolls or the sitting ghosts,' is what you're thinking, right?" Claude answered for him.

Naru stared at him before nodding. "...Yes."

"Wha━? Wait a moment! How is that possible?" Ayako demanded.

"Ah, Chiaki-kun is right," Bou-san agreed. "The thing is...with everything that happened here and in the villages...anything is possible."

"What do you mean? The dolls moved it themselves? How can they come in? We've blocked the pathways!" Ayako cried in disbelief.

"No...We've only blocked the pathways we knew." Yasuhara frowned. "There are still pathways in this castle that we don't know about, like the way to the last hidden tower, for instance. It could be ghosts too, right? Remember the Urado case? Ghost or whatever, the dead manipulated space, right? It's frustrating, but I think that the results we gained aren't due to PK at all."

"The most disturbing thing, though, isn't that the objects in the Poltergeist room were moved," Claude pointed out. "But, the fact that the main culprit knows what we're trying to do is what I find most ominous. It's smart and calculating. It knows what we do, and it knows what we're after. It frustrates us, but that's what it wants. The reason it's being laidback...it must be because it's waiting for the time to catch us off-guard."

Everyone was silent in contemplation. No one noticed me sitting upright, but I didn't mind. _Was I asleep for too long? _I gazed at my phone's time and blinked.

_12 pm? Wha━I overslept!_

"Mai," Claude called, and I perked up at him. He ruffled my hair.

"Mai, you were awake?" Bou-san inquired, and I shook my head.

"I just woke up."

Bou-san scrunched his eyes at Ayako. "It's because you were shouting, Oba-san."

"Don't call me Oba-san, you old man!" Ayako scolded, and audible sighs could be heard. The two adults were at it again.

"How are you feeling?" Claude asked worriedly and apologetically added, "I'm sorry I fell asleep last night when I wasn't supposed to."

"Claude..." I brightened. "It's alright. I'm just fine. I always do midnight tasks, you know."

He frowned. "That's not healthy, Mai. Even that guy should know that."

"Well..."

The mentioned devil didn't skip a beat. "Did you have a dream?"

I didn't look at the narcissist. I didn't want to remember, and I didn't want to be swayed in front of Claude. I didn't want to remember anything...about what he'd said at midnight. I didn't want to...let my body betray me again.

"I saw...how the last hidden tower looks like...and I saw...how Midoriko was killed...or how she might have been killed," I disclosed; it was my job after all.

"What?" Ayako's attention was sheered. "Where is it?"

I shook my head slowly. "I...I don't know, but there was a large cage..."

"Cage?" Bou-san shuddered. "That sounds creepy..."

I jounced my head. "Its shape is like a bird cage...but it was made for a human."

I described the place as much as I can recall. Then, I began reporting about the silhouette who gave Midoriko a suspicious drink.

"She...died of poison?" Masako asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know if it really killed her...but I just felt foreboding from the scene..."

Naru jounced his head. "I see."

"There's one more thing..." I started slowly without looking at him. "Gene...he said we should do a _shoukon*_."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**2:04-2:31 pm**

After lunch (brunch for me), we went to the cleared up poltergeist room. Lin-san prepared his instruments for summoning in the middle of the room. While I was asleep, the others had returned the things used for autosuggestion and removed the velvet curtains which partitioned the room yesterday.

The sable curtains on the window were drawn close, and the lights were turned off as only two cylindrical green candles and incense remained alit on the round cedar wood table at the center of the room. Masako and Lin-san sat across each other. (I was going to protest about using Masako as the medium, but Naru had assured us...or rather me...that Masako would just do the questioning.)

We had decided to call upon the recent missing (and assumably dead) person, a male servant named Sasayan Ikawa. So, Yasuhara handed Lin-san the man's profile and a possession (a trench coat). Lin-san wrote the time of death (assumably the day after the servant disappeared) on white paper in squiggly lines. On a wide petri-dish-looking tray, Lin-san lodged the neatly folded trench coat and the scrawled paper on top of it. Lin-san then held a silver-hilted sword laterally on his lap, and he started his sphinxlike invoking tune.

It was hard to expel the over-held air. It was as though our lungs were being controlled externally. Our breaths were abated more than ever when the wispy trails of the incense and candles changed direction suddenly.

And a different light ignited.

A greenish orb egressed from the floor, and as it ascended, a body of an old man came into shape. He looked confused; his wrinkled yet slightly obscured face whipped around wildly. What was strange was that there was some kind of thick tube, which connected to his belly and coursed upward through the ceiling to who-knows-where.

I tugged Claude's sleeve and murmured inquisitively, "What do you think is that?"

"I think...it's an umbilical cord."

Ayako hushed us with a gander.

"Ikawa-san...we're here to help you rest in peace..." Masako's voice was like the feeling of a salve spread on a burn; it was calming...and assuring. "But...we need to free you first...Do you know...who killed you?"

The ghost shook its head.

"Is there...someone telling you to do something?"

There was a nod.

"Did you...do that person's command?"

A nod came again.

_What...kind of command is it...? _The unvoiced query unnerved me.

"Why are you following that...person?"

The ghost opened his mouth and formed inaudible words.

"He's saying...it's for re━" Masako tried to broadcast but stopped as a look of horror flashed on the man's face, and his visage was contorted into an agonized scream. An out-of-place wind blew off the flames of the candles, and the room darkened. There was a boom, and rapping and banging sounds resonated on the walls. Shrill and ear-splitting screams surrounded us, and Claude (probably, since he's the nearest to me) covered my ears for me. It was so discordant; it could be likened to an unharmonized and chaotic symphony.

"Don't go outside!" Naru commanded, and we stayed unmoving on a corner of the room.

I gripped Claude's shirt tightly, and we waited for the dissonance to wane. After a few minutes, the terrible sounds died down, and we turned on the chandelier and lamps. There were no writings on the walls as we'd expected, and nothing was damaged or torn in the room.

"Only creepy sounds huh," Bou-san observed.

"Masako." Ayako seized the medium's attention and interrogated, "What was the complete answer of that ghost? Was it 'revenge'?"

We all eyed Masako keenly. With a pallid face and kimono sleeve over her mouth, she joggled her head.

"No...he said...it's for 'rebirth.' "

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**2:42-2:53 pm**

"Sitting ghosts...rebirth...It all made sense...Whoever was behind everything...he was appealing to those who had hard lives..." Yasuhara concluded after checking the servants' profiles once more in the base.

"Rebirth...huh..." Bou-san pondered, "Although I'm a Buddhist monk...I have doubts about that subject somehow..."

"The culprit...must have promised the souls that they would have a better life when they're reincarnated..." John speculated.

"One down then." Claude nodded. "Only the culprit's reason remains unknown to us."

"What should we do now, Naru-bou?" Bou-san inquired. "Should we exorcise places again?"

Naru shook his head. "Those who finished checking temperatures will search for pathways to the hidden tower. Yasuhara and Lin will watch the monitors, and Mai...will play with the Kawabuki girl."

I blinked. _Play? Just play?_

Ayako and Masako glowered at me.

"You got it easy on you, don't you?" Ayako venomously accused.

_Easy? _My eyes and Naru's met, and I averted my gaze quickly.

"It's not like that..." I said, thinking of an excuse for the narcissist's strange order, and I fleered, "Kids are just my specialty, Oba-san~~"

"You━!"

"Start looking," Naru admonished, and we just shrugged before finally moving out of the base.

Claude filed out with me and accompanied me to the second floor to look for Rika.

"What's wrong?" He noticed my frown.

"Why...did you say it's an umbilical cord? The one that's tied to Ikawa-san's ghost?"

He shrugged, thoughtful. "Well...as what I've read...when people astral project or have an out-of-body experience, the soul is connected to the body by a spiritual umbilical cord."

_Whoa...I've never seen my umbilical cord before though..._

I goggled at him. "But, Ikawa-san is dead, right? How can he still be just simply astral projecting, or how can he still be connected to his body? Does that mean he's not yet dead?"

Claude hmm-ed, and his eyes lit up. "It might be because he's connected to another body."

I gawked at him in horror. "Another body?"

"Not a human body but a doll's," he explicated.

"That's..."

"Gruesome? Yeah...and sad too." Claude loured. "If my theory is correct, then the culprit...had done such a strong soul transference that the victims' souls were connected to the dolls as if they were their human bodies. It's not simply possession or invasion...That is replacement."

"That's so cruel..." I shivered instinctively. I could not imagine myself...waking up one day and finding myself in a doll's body.

"Anyway, enough of the creepy stuff for now," Claude detracted me. "Have you slept well?"

"Yeah, I did..." I sighed as what Gene said reiterated in my mind. _How can I tell Naru about what Gene told me to say to him? I can't look at his face...without remembering __**that**__. _"How about you, Claude?"

He jounced his head. "Apparently so, despite my eager resistance from caving in last night."

I lifted a corner of my mouth. "You needed it."

"Yeah...but I still lost against human tendency." He grinned, and then he didn't. He gazed at me with a worried look. "Your dream...what you relayed wasn't everything that happened, right?"

_Ack! _I suspired in defeat. Claude was always really sharp.

"Yeah..."

Claude knew everything about me, including my post-cognitive dreams. It was his understanding nature that made me open up to him so readily, and it was such quality...that made me fall for him gradually everyday.

Claude tugged my sleeve, and we halted on the second floor hallway.

"What happened?" he persuaded.

I hesitated but soughed. "I was attacked...by fireflies that formed into an enormous snake."

He stared at me in great concern. "A snake? Did it hurt you?"

I shook my head. "Gene...saved me."

We were quiet for a while. Claude knew about Gene too.

With a sigh, Claude looked away and mumbled, "Even in dreams...huh..."

I nictated and bit my lip. His voice was tinged with jealousy, and it made me guilty and flattered simultaneously.

_Claude really loves me._

It was my turn to tug Claude's sleeve. I then whispered affectionately, "I'm with you."

Claude blinked at me, and his cheeks flushed scarlet. Simpering, he nodded. "Yeah..."

I smiled.

It's not Naru...

It's not.

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**2:53-7:00 pm**

When we found Rika and Kirio-kun, the four of us marched to the tulip garden. Since I forgot to bring my parents' theses, we helped Rika draw and color instead. When we all got bored, we told ghost stories, played tag, and jumped on a skipping rope. Then, we picked some tulips to put in vases inside the castle.

Time flew by swiftly, as it always did when you're having fun. Before long, a faded view of the moon had become evident in the light indigo and slightly orange sky, and we sauntered back to the castle and to the kitchen to eat our early dinner.

I was still avoiding Naru, and luckily, I hadn't seen him anywhere until we came back to base. When we did, Yasuhara approached us with an ear-to-ear grin.

"Chiaki," the scholar uttered familiarly, "I have something for you to answer."

I narrowed my eyes as Claude agreed, and Yasu gave him a sheet of paper...

Fishy...

_What is he scheming again?_

* * *

**XDDXDXDXD~nya~**

"What's that?" Mai queried with a frown and inched closer to Claude to peruse whatever was on the paper Yasuhara had given.

On the paper, there was something like this━

_What statement best describes Mai? Check all that apply:_

__ Are you a denture? Because I can't smile without you.*heart*_

__ You're a louse...because you're always on my head. *heart*_

__ Are you a booger? Because you're hard to get.*heart*_

__ You're a thief...because you've stolen my heart.*heart*_

_*Reference: "ttt" sung by uuu_

"W-w-w-what kind of checklist is this? Yasuuuuuuuuuu!" Mai hollered.

Claude chortled and started checking. "They're quite interesting lines."

"Claude, don't answer it! What the heck?"

Claude brought his copy of Yasuhara's checklist above his head and out of Mai's grasp, and Mai jumped up and down to obtain it.

"Now, now, Yasuhara-san did his best in making this..."

Mai pouted and narrowed her eyes. "He did his best in playing around, you mean."

Claude chuckled. "It's alright, Mai. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Wha━why are you checking everything? Do you think I feel happy to be compared to a denture, louse, booger, and thief?"

Claude blinked and smirked. "That's what you're worried about?"

Mai reddened in anger. "Claude, you jerk!"

Claude scurried away, and Mai ran after him. Yasuhara, who's supposed to be the culprit, just grinned widely. Unbeknownst to the official couple, the former narcissist was also given the checklist, and so far...the young boss was seriously considering the second option...

Yasuhara nodded in satisfaction at the pensive boss; the latter's seriousness just proved that his efforts weren't feckless after all.

"By the way, Mai..." Yasuhara distracted the pursuer. "I have a question."

Mai halted and faced him with hands on her hips. "What?"

"Whom do you love more? Boss or Claude?" Yasuhara asked bluntly and grinned at the swish of heads of the two choices.

Mai unexpectedly blanched. She then looked reluctant. "Do I have to answer that...now?"

Yasuhara bobbed and noted the impatient looks of the prospects again. However, Mai squinted her eyes at him before shrugging and leering and smirking, "_**I love all men.**_"

Stumped, Yasuhara, Claude, and Naru blinked at her. Then, Yasuhara and Claude laughed heartily.

"Mai..." Yasuhara started between laughs.

"What?" She pouted.

"You're quite the playgirl," Claude commented.

Indeed...

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**7:30-7:55 pm**

Mai had gone to the kitchen to make tea while Takigawa returned to report.

"We've looked everywhere, but we couldn't find anything," the monk informed.

"Where are the others?" Naru asked.

"They went ahead to eat dinner."

Naru sighed. "I see. You can go and e━"

There was a crashing sound followed by retching noises from the kitchen**.** Naru, Takigawa, and Claude wended there immediately, and they saw Mai wiping her mouth with a paper towel and turning the faucet to stream her mushy supper down the drain.

"Mai, wha━?" Takigawa started to approach.

"I'm fine!" Mai shouted, her left hand springing up to stop them from going further. "I'm fine, so don't worry."

The trio loured as they noticed the shattered teacup on the floor.

"You're apparently not fine," Naru remarked and then bent down to pick up the broken pieces.

"Naru-bou, careful━"

Naru instantaneously tossed a broken piece across the room; his face was slightly perplexed.

Mai, Claude, and Takigawa stared at him.

"What's that for?" Mai demanded disapprovingly. _What? Is he angry that I broke his teacup? Seriously?_

Frowning at the broken pieces, Naru stood up. "Nothing..."

Pursing her lips, Mai retorted, "Whatever. I'll go get some broom to sweep the floor."

When Mai passed by Naru, the latter grasped her arm to stall her.

Astonished, Mai uttered, "What are you━?"

"You're _**very hot**_." Naru affixed her a look of enlightenment.

"Naru-bou, so bold..." Takigawa mumbled as Mai blushed and Claude's jaw clenched.

"W-what are you sayi━?" Mai stammered, her cheeks crimson.

"You're very hot." Naru was subtle; he looked like he was in pain while touching her. "You have a fever."

Takigawa face-palmed. _So that's what he meant...Ah, to be young..._

"I don't━"

Claude motioned to clutch Mai's other arm and pulled his hand back briskly as though burnt; his eyes expanded. "Mai, your fever is very high!"

Mai was baffled. "How...?"

"I'll take you to your room," Naru offered, but Claude grabbed Mai gently by the waist towards himself. Naru's grasp on her arm slipped away.

With a steady and intense gaze, Claude grunted, "_**I'll take her **_to her room, Shibuya-san."

Naru and Claude scowled unfavorably at each other before Naru shunted his head and nodded (somehow forced). "Do what you want."

Claude jounced his head and went out of the kitchen with Mai held close to him. Takigawa eyed Naru's back sympathetically. _To be young...and hurt..._Takigawa sighed. He surveyed Naru's right hand's palm and noticed how inflamed it looked...

Blinking, Takigawa said, "Naru-bou, your hand━!"

Naru abruptly hid his right hand in his pocket and whipped his head to the monk. "I'm fine."

Takigawa frowned. "You know..."

Naru glared, and the monk shut up. Grimacing at being glowered by a younger man, he rolled his eyes and muttered, "Alright, alright. Honestly. At least appreciate my worry..."

The monk scratched his head before striding out of the kitchen and leaving the (former) narcissist to his own thoughts.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"You didn't have to tuck me in bed so early..." I murmured.

Claude smiled. "You need to rest, Mai."

I pouted. "I overslept just hours ago, so I don't need more rest."

"But you have a very high fever, and you just threw up." Claude frowned and flicked my forehead (I reflexively closed my eyes). "You need to lie down, or you'll get dizzy and faint."

I soughed. I didn't really feel anything at that moment. I had extremely tasted bile on my throat before, and it was good that my mind still worked well in warning me to go to the sink.

I barfed..._Why? Are all the effects of PK usage still not finished appearing?_

If I could feel something, I might have felt the heaviness of my body. But, I couldn't; however, I did notice how...I couldn't seem to walk properly with Claude a few minutes ago.

"Just close your eyes, Mai," Claude suggested. "I'll be right here."

"Will you be okay?" I asked.

"I already told Lin-san to leave some of his shikis with us."

I smiled, nodding. Claude made friends with the others quite smoothly within just one day.

"You'll get bored, you know," I warned.

Claude lifted a corner of his mouth. "I won't. I'll be staring at you while you sleep. You have quite funny expressions, Mai."

"Mohh." I pouted. "You just want to tease me after."

He chuckled. "Hai, hai, I'm guilty. Now, close your eyes and relax."

Still pouting, I nodded. I shut my eyes and evened my breathing. Claude held my hand although it might burn him...

_Burn...him?_

Naru's arcane face flashed in my mind.

_Wait a moment!_

Pronto, I opened my eyes again, sat upright, and snagged Claude's right arm nearer to me.

"Mai, what are you━?"

My power was going haywire after all, and I...

"You were burnt!" I let go of his arm immediately; it was very red, and there clearly were blisters. Guiltily and ruefully, I gazed at him in concern. "You were burnt when you held me! Why didn't you tell me? Your right palm━"

Claude put an index finger over my lips to hush me. He smiled, and I comprehended his pain then. Claude was always like that; he...always hid his pain very well. He always...didn't want to show his agonized look to me; he was always worrying about me. "I'll be fine, Mai."

"Don't act so cool!" I cried and sniffed, "Please! Stop...hiding from me..."

Naru must have been burnt too when he touched me. _Why? Why is everyone trying to protect me all the time?_

"Claude...please rely on me too..." I sobbed, and he was surprised, rueful, and happy.

"I'm sorry," he apologized and leaned closer to me.

A kiss on my forehead...

"Go to rest, Mai," he breathed and gazed at me lovingly. "I won't leave you."

"Claude..."

I had always known...that promises are easily broken. But...if it's Claude...I wanted to believe it's not always like that. I wanted to believe...that promises can be kept too from time to time...

In his arms and bathed in his scent's presence, tranquilly, I drifted off to oblivion.

* * *

**MAI DREAMS**

I was in Kou-san's tower again. Paranoid, I swished my head around for fireflies-forming-snakes. I whirled around for a few minutes and looked for some weapon in any case something comes out later (but found none except paintbrushes and fire wood).

Just then, something was pitched on the floor before me, and I yelped and winced. I realized that it wasn't a snake or whatnot...

But a tool.

Scissors...?

Blinking, I stared at where it came from. _It wants me to...?_

_Ah...I see..._

_Kou-san...you...want to save her, right? You want to save your beloved's sister..._

Somehow, I knew what to do then.

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**REVIEW**

**8:00-8:30 pm**

Naru was sitting on his throne in the base when Yasuhara and Ayako came in (after wandering around the castle to ease their full stomachs). The Kawabuki household gave them a bountiful dinner again that they couldn't avoid but help themselves.

"Have you seen Mai, Boss?" Yasuhara asked, thinking about how odd it was that the girl wasn't near her greatest love. _Or __**former**__ love..._

"She went to sleep," Naru replied tersely.

"Ehhh, this early?" _It's just 8 pm…_Yasuhara furrowed his eyebrows. _That's very unlikely…_

But then, the college student knew how Mai seemed to have weakened lately though she showed a cheerful countenance when she played with Rika.

"She's sick," Naru said and added to Ayako (before Yasuhara can reply), "What's the news?"

_Bingo_, Yasuhara thought to himself.

"It's well, you see, ah—wait!" Ayako exclaimed. "What happened to Mai? Why's she sick? Did you do something to her?"

Naru's eyebrow raised high. "When is it ever my fault that she's negligent to her health?"

"You━!"

Ignoring the priestess' fuming figure, Naru stood up and felt something clinked when he moved a step. He stared down and recognized Mai's lily hair pin, which he had given when he and his parents visited her home last April.

The young boss made an inner sigh. _How reckless and forgetful…that girl…_

Inattentive to Ayako's demanding questions, Naru bent down and picked the hair pin. Just then, he felt a great jolt of time and space, and he was transported into a circular room with green background━a place he assumed was somewhere in that castle.

He was outside a large cage...The cage Mai had described before!

For the first time, Naru sweat-dropped and he paled. He was face-to-face with himself: a disturbed him.

_This is─!_

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LOVE!" he heard an almost transparent figure scream, and he felt his body move towards the him in front of him. He didn't notice he was holding a dagger...

And he stabbed himself involuntarily.

Dropping Mai's hair pin on the floor in shock and panting arduously, Naru went back to earth with Lin kneeling beside him worriedly. _He knows…_

Yasuhara and Ayako's curious queries were shunned as he thought fast about what to do. He turned to Lin.

"Naru, what have you seen?" his Chinese assistant asked anxiously.

"Lin, get Mai," was Naru's sparse but urgent reply.

And with that, Lin understood. Filled with a sudden creeping fear, the Chinese man wondered; _will what will happen, really happen?_

As his assistant vanished from sight, Naru stood up, numbed. _Last time it was Gene…Now…why Mai?_

Although, he knew; the god of death would never answer.

Thoughts rushed his mind:

Mai bringing him tea.

Mai blushing after falling over and kissing him.

Mai gazing furiously at him.

Mai smiling happily at him.

Mai crying after saying she loves him.

The girl he loves was going to die...She was going to die...And just like Gene's, Naru had experienced her death...

Something inside him that he could not decipher was fading away like mist. It was similar to how he felt when he saw Gene die; it was an ominous and horrendous feeling. As if he was becoming emptied…hollowed…

He comprehended then that Mai had become his routine, his normalcy. And if something would take what made his life normal, it would be as though hell had frozen over. It would be as though he would become more deranged than he'd recently been.

No...

Naru bent his head and ran his hands through his hair as he sat on the chair he was occupying calmly before. In terms of location, she was nearer to him than Gene was at that time. He could easily reach her and hinder what was imminent. But, for the second time, he doubted himself.

_Death is inevitable._

_Do I even have the power to prevent a predetermined death?_

**END OF REVIEW**

* * *

Just a minute after Lin left, a piercing scream resonated in the castle. Alerted, Naru and the others dashed out of the base. They almost collided with Takigawa and John while scurrying towards the second floor. When they all finally arrived at their destination, they were stockstill at what they saw.

Far ahead on the second floor hallway was a ginormous serpentine entity formed by compacted bald porcelain doll heads. It coiled its posterior behind its lithe upright anterior: a form preparing to strike. Thousands of ogling fish-like eyes from allover the entity's body gleamed at them all. Lin whistled to his shikis, and the giant snake-form dodged and hissed as it battled some mottled green and sharp-clawed hands appearing out of nowhere.

"Lin!" Naru called.

"Take Hara-san and the Kawabuki children!" Lin ordered urgently.

Takigawa and Ayako started their own stream of chants while Yasuhara and John tried to get near the yelping and scooting Masako and Kawabuki girl and the bat-swinging Kirio-kun. On another, Naru was thinking of a way to get past the snake and wend towards Mai's chamber, but the serpentine entity darted towards him.

"Naru!" the rest shouted.

Lin whistled louder and more shrilly, and the snake-form was thrown aback before it could surge down on the young boss.

"Nooooo! Don't hurt it!" Rika shrieked, but Lin had already succeeded.

The serpentine entity staggered away while blinking its numerous gleaming eyes, and it collided its head on a wall further ahead of the hallway. From the head to its tail, the entity disassembled when it pushed its head on another wall as though only the invisible evil 'spirit' connecting all its parts went through.

Heaps of now-disengaged doll heads littered the hallway. For a minute, they were all left flummoxed at the otherworldly attack. Then, Naru, recalling what he was supposed to do, clambered up the heap while scooping the doll heads out of his way.

Again, Rika yelled, "No!"

And the girl was mounting next to Naru.

"Rika!" Kirio-kun shouted, but Rika ignored him as she began scavenging in the pile of doll heads. "Stop, Rika!"

"What are you━?" Naru was distracted.

"He's not here!" Rika sobbed as she desperately searched the pile. "He's not here!"

"Rika, come down! What are you━?" Kirio-kun shouted.

"He's not here, Kirio-nii!" Rika wailed. "Chiaki-nii's not here!"

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

"No way..." I mumbled as I finished my task. "This can't be..."

I gazed at my work in apprehension. Everything came to me in an instant: the dreams, the findings, etc...

_I know...The main culprit is..._

"Mai."

Startled, I blinked and spun about-face.

The voice was eerily familiar but at the same time peculiar.

_Who...?_

I gasped at the figure who materialized before me.

"Mai, listen to me..." the figure began.

Nonplussed, I burst out, "Why are you here...Liza?"

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**A/N: Now it makes sense, right? Now that Naru knows that Mai's going to die, what will he do? Maybe Mai dying would be...^^ Anyway, there is a REASON why the pairing is Naru/Mai, so you all have my assurance...maybe heeheee**

**There are sentences that are here but aren't in chap 2; chap 2 was abridged for a reason too.**

_Who is the culprit?_

_a. Kirio-kun_

_b. Tenura-san_

_c. Claude_

_d. Midoriko_

_e. Fumenmoku_

_f. Undecided_

***Shoukon=ancient Chinese method of spirit invocation**

**PREVIEW OF NEXT CHAPTER: Thanatopsis (a contemplation of death)**

"Why did you do that to her?"

"I do what is necessary."

"...so FINISH IT!"

"...I have a plan."

"Screw you."

"I tried, Mai."

"Death is natural. Didn't you say that when we found Gene?"

Sorry...

"Idiot..."

**Yeah, it'll be more intense. ^^ Anyway, advance Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! How was this chapter? I would be glad to read your feedbacks. ^^ **

**Now I'm off to do laundry! LOL**


	13. Thanatopsis

**A/N: This is fast-paced.  
**

* * *

**Review**

"Mai."

I blinked and turned around in astonishment.

The voice was eerily familiar but at the same time peculiar.

_Who...?_

I gasped at the figure who materialized before me.

"Mai, listen to me..." the figure said.

Stunned, I uttered, "Why are you here...Liza?"

**End of Review**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"_**The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of."**_

_**~Blaise Pascal~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**DAY 4; 9:04-9:15 pm**

"Why did you do that to her?" Ayako exclaimed. "Shouldn't it be alright if someone just guarded her?"

They had just gathered in the base after transferring Mai to the chamber where Ayako and Masako resided.

Shrugging and ignoring the red-headed woman, Naru just turned to the others. "Everyone will take turns in guarding. First will be Brown-san. Then Yasuhara, Takigawa-san, Matsuzaki-san, and Hara-san. I will take over near midnight tomorrow."

"Naru-bou, was it really necessary to do that to Mai?" Takigawa asked. "I know she might go off if you didn't do that, but...to use such methods...What is it that you really saw? Was it Mai's d━"

"Takigawa-san." It was Lin. "Can you please perform exorcisms in the places I marked in this blueprint?"

Takigawa blinked and sighed. _So...I shouldn't delve huh..._

"Answer me, you brat!" Ayako yelled and Naru soughed.

"Matsuzaki-san," he started icily, "do you think Mai will just wait for us to find Murakami-san when she realizes he was taken? Do you think she won't do something reckless again?"

"I know that!" Ayako snarled. "But to do something like that━"

"I do what is necessary." Naru glared. "And if you don't agree by the means that I do what I do, then you shall leave. I do not need half-hearted assistance."

He spun around and exited the room.

"Wha━You━!" Takigawa and Yasuhara blocked Ayako from attacking the young boss.

"Now, now, Oba-san!" Yasuhara struggled. "Calm down, alright?"

"I don't agree with this either, you know!" Takigawa said honestly. "But this is what's best for Mai for now!"

"But━!"

Takigawa cupped her cheeks and turned her head to face him. Inopportunely, the miko blushed.

"I know how you feel, but...if Mai can be safe...I will do my best. Don't you feel that way too?"

"That's━!" Ayako bit her lip and jounced her head slowly and guiltily. Takigawa released her and suspired.

"It must be hard on Shibuya-san too..." John observed. "If Mai-san wakes up and she finds out about Murakami-san...she might blame Shibuya-san..."

They stared at John and contemplated about what he'd said.

"That'll really hurt badly..." Yasuhara agreed.

"Anyway, John, you're up," Takigawa said, and the priest nodded. "Don't tell her what happened. If she asks where Murakami-kun is...tell her he went back to Tokyo because the cram school called him. Tell her that he'd wanted to stay, but he had to go. Okay?"

John nodded again. "I will, Takigawa-san."

"Don't tell her that he went missing...It would be better that way."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

"Leave the castle, Mai," Liza said sadly. Her voice was mellifluous, but it carried a weight with it...a heavy one...and a darker tone.

"Liza, why?" I was extremely addled. _Why did she appear?_

"Leave the castle, Mai...or else...everyone will be in danger...including Claude..."

"Liza..." I murmured, "You came to me...to warn me?"

She jounced her head.

"You should end the case, Mai," Liza persuaded. "You should end this case or else all of you will be in danger."

I nictitated in bewilderment. _Ah...a forewarning...I can feel it...my intuition._

"You saw something," I spoke calmly and gazed at Liza softly. "You saw something...that involves me. That's why you came to me in this dream...right?"

The dead always had reasons, and the more peculiar and infrequent the visit, the graver the reason would be.

"Mai..."

I just smiled. "I'm always in danger, Liza, but it's a part of my job. Even so, I still want to relieve everyone. I want to help those who died in this castle. I want to free them like I did with you."

Liza shook her head worriedly. "I know you can do it, but it won't end happily, Mai."

"Liza..." I started, but she trailed me off with her grim and desolate gaze.

"End the case, Mai...or you will die."

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 5; 6:59 am-6:29 pm**

What Liza said echoed even in the waking world.

_I...will die...?_

I didn't know how to react in reality. From the previous case...I had realized that death is inescapable.

_I'm...going to die...huh._

Liza could see future deaths. It had been her psychic ability since she was alive. For her to warn me about it...to escape my death...was very kind of her.

Should I...just run away?

Should I...just leave this case after all?

Fear...Was it fear that made me think like this?

I couldn't understand my emotions at that instance. Liza had never been wrong in her visions...She'd seen her death herself...and she died as she'd seen...

_I see...my death is certain...that's why...I feel like...I couldn't help it._

"Mai? Mai, are you alright?" I blinked and rubbed my eyes with my right hand. Then, I whipped to my side and saw Bou-san, not Claude, sitting on a chair beside the bed.

I jounced my head and wondered, "W-where's Claude? W-where am I?"

I was in a different room. The room I'd slept in last night did not have two four-poster beds (with canopies) in rich red colors, nor did it have red and gold wallpapers and a statue of a nestling lion (like the infamous pose of that one in a Lion King movie) in the middle of the room. Muddled, I sat upright, got out of bed, and found myself unable to go further than a step on the floor. Flummoxed, I stared at my left arm.

"W-what is this? Why am I handcuffed to the bed?" I blurted out while shaking my left arm, and Bou-san shrugged.

"Well...it was Naru's idea..." he replied quietly and avoided my gaze.

"WHAT?" I said in surprise and tried to get rid of the handcuffs that trapped me to a bed post. "Why, that jerk! Why did he do this to me? Bou-san, unlock me! This is unacceptable, you know! I━"

"I'm sorry, Mai. I can't."

I nictated at Bou-san's austere face. "Wha━What are you saying? Why can't you free me? Why did you do this to me?"

He was acting. He was acting strictly. I knew it was just a veneer. I knew that there's something he's clearly not telling me.

"Why did Naru fetter me to the bed?" I demanded and succussed my left arm in the hopes that the handcuffs would just break free.

But it didn't. Of course.

Where did they even get the handcuffs? Some police or something? What the heck?

"It's for your safety," Bou-san responded tersely, and I ogled at him.

"Safety? What are you━?"

"_...or you will die..." _Liza's voice bounced back in my mind again.

I blinked.

_Naru..._

_Did Naru...see...my death...too? _

I gasped.

"Mai, what's wrong...?" Bou-san was disconcerted.

_Naru...has psychometry...He might have seen my death too..._

That reason seemed plausible. Naru would never think of handcuffing me if not for a very grave excuse. He himself knew how unethical it was.

_He...saw me die? Just like he saw...Gene's?_

I didn't know what to say as the realization of the possibility hit me. He didn't want me...to pursue my death...that's why he's doing this?

"Where's Claude?" I inquired again. He'd said he won't leave me, but it was probably Naru's plan to make him go away because he knew I would depend on him to escape. He must have told Claude about it...Claude might have known and agreed...

Bou-san shrugged once more, and he couldn't look at me properly for the first time. Suspicious at his strange reaction, I repeated, "Where is Claude, Bou-san?"

There was some ominous presentiment washing over me. Bou-san was hiding something...something about...something...

My heart ached and clenched mentally. "Was he abducted?"

Bou-san was astonished at me and shook his head. "He wasn't. He was called by the cram school where he was working, and he had to leave immediately."

A lie...My inner voice was shouting that it was a lie...But I didn't know what to believe. Bou-san looked truthful, and he'd never really lied to me as much as I could remember.

_He's not lying...He's not._

I discovered then...that as much as I didn't want to suspect Bou-san's words as untrue...I also didn't want to think that what I thought as the truth was really true. It's because I would feel guilty. I would feel guilty if Claude was abducted and would die because of me.

Claude went to the castle after hearing that I was missing. Claude, despite everything else in his career, wended to see me to ascertain that I was safe, and he'd decided to stay at the castle to help and protect me.

_He just went back to Tokyo..._

I knew that he didn't really promise that he won't leave me EVER. That was just very ideal for me to think of. Claude had obligations to attend too, and I had mine. It's better that...he wouldn't see me in such a terrible state...It's better that...he wouldn't find out that I knew my death...and that...he could have prevented it...

I sighed and bowed my head and noted the different ensemble I had from before...

"Who changed my clothes? What day is it?"

Bou-san blinked, and I observed some kind of relief on his face; the aversion of topic was probably good for him. He beamed. "Ayako bathed and clothed you. It's Friday."

I just shrugged. _So that means...Naru planned for me to be stuck here all day..._Such information was indeed strengthening the conclusion that Naru saw my death through psychometry. What he'd touched that belonged to me...I had no idea...But it was highly possible...that he did see my death...and he handcuffed me to not make me do something reckless and actualize whatever he saw.

How could I arrive at such a brilliant conclusion? I would never know...Just that...at that moment...it seemed like my head was so clear...that everything made sense...It was as though I was being omniscient for the first time...It was as though knowing my death...made speculating or thinking...less tormenting.

I rubbed my right palm on the white layered lace dress with a black bow just below my bosom. It was Claude's 1st month-sary gift to me...

_He's safe...That's great..._

I didn't know why...but I felt that the handcuffs were useless in preventing my death. Even if Bou-san was a very good knight...the unknown culprit in the castle...seemed capable of doing anything. I remembered my dream yesterday, and I...could say that...it's not impossible for it to happen in reality. The culprit had killed 4,443 people. It or he or she had killed many people from different places. Its or his or her scope was far-reaching...ubiquitous. Even if Lin-san's shikis are strong, I doubted if they were strong enough...to quell a menacing entity...of illusions. I was skeptical if...it couldn't make a way...to get to me.

I had a feeling that it was so powerful...Not only my death was possible...but also everyone else's.

_Let it find me then...If it kills me...then it will._

_What's the point of resisting a destined death?_

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

I didn't speak to Bou-san anymore. When Ayako came in with my brunch and an apology for the tardiness of the food delivery, I just nodded to Bou-san and greeted Ayako as usual.

The monk and miko acted the same way. Ayako was more apparent in her restraint though. There were many times she wanted to say something but then pressed her lips together. Once, she'd blurted out to ask me if the handcuffs didn't hurt my wrist, and I just smiled.

She was evidently nonplussed at my reaction, and I could tell why; I was composed and calm. Naturally, if a person wakes up and finds him or herself handcuffed to a bed, he or she would incessantly struggle and take it out on the guard. But then, if I was the usual me, I would do that. However, I wasn't the same irascible me.

The thought of death...pervaded my head, and I...pondered at how easy a human's life could end. Trying to get out of the handcuffs was too much hassle. What would I do if I could get it off me? Even if I wouldn't invite the main culprit...it or he or she would probably be targeting me...

Why was I being conceited as to think I'm so important to be targeted?...I had no idea. But...how else would I be killed in that place but by the hands of the dollmaker? Why would Liza warn me about my imminent death if it wasn't by someone who would do it macabrely?

_If Kami-sama wants me dead...Fine...It's not like there's a reason to live..._

I didn't know why I had become so pessimistic swiftly. It was as though somebody splashed cold water on me, and I remained chilly...although I couldn't feel anything.

The knowledge of my inevitable death...the knowledge that it's near...that it could happen any time soon...was weakening me. Where was the energetic me? Where was the me who didn't want to die?

I was becoming insane by the second. Because I knew...Liza's...visions had never been wrong...Liza's and maybe Naru's visions...had never failed to come true. Maybe it was that fact...that made the entirety of my being...in total surrender to my fate and destiny.

If I was the same me, I would be saying, 'Screw fate! Screw destiny! What kind of idiot believes in such things?'

But, I couldn't seem to think like that. I couldn't seem to think so...disagreeably. Deep inside...I wanted to end it already. Would it be a painful death? Ah...maybe not...I still couldn't feel after all...Maybe I would die unfeeling...Great...that's like anesthesia working until the end...

Was I someone who would give up so easily and acquiesce to my demise? I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember who I was supposed to be. I couldn't remember how I should act.

Should I be angry? Should I shout and scream to curse Kami-sama?

I just shrugged and ate my brunch and dinner with Ayako without making conversation all throughout the afternoon and evening she was watching me. The miko was concerned about my silence too, but she refrained herself from voicing out until the end of her surveillance.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**6:30-7:11 pm**

There was a knock on the door━a signal for Ayako to come out. With a sigh, Ayako told me to finish my dinner before she ushered Masako inside. The medium had the same attitude as the two before her...until I finished eating.

Unlike Ayako who couldn't say what she wanted to say, Masako was feeling quite talkative.

"Last May, you became my rival once again," Masako said quietly and disdainfully. "And now you're dating someone else? Although the odds are in my favor because of that and I had planned to ensure to make you regret not being free to be with Naru, it irks me that you've backed out so easily."

I was taken aback by her vocalness for a minute before I smiled slightly. "You deserved him more than me."

Masako glared at me. "You don't understand anything at all, do you? It's frustrating, but it's not about deserving Naru's affections. I have overestimated you. You said you won't give up, but you did. Aren't you just pathetic?"

It was the first time Masako spoke with so much...fervor towards me, and I...knew that she was pointing out the truth.

I soughed. I didn't feel like arguing with her at all. I was going to die soon anyway...It's not like I could do something about love in the afterlife...if there's even an afterlife...

"Yeah, I'm pathetic, am I not?" I replied listlessly. "Actually, I saw you two together...on the day of my arranged meeting with Claude. I saw you both...and I thought, 'Ah...how perfect they look together. I have no chance at all.' And I thought that the reason Naru lied to me that day...it was probably because he would be with you...Or it could be that he made you meet his parents or something..."

Masako stared at me, and she appeared as though she forgot her anger at me...for a second. "You...saw us together?"

I nodded, still smiling. "Yeah...I saw you kiss him too. That was brave of you as always. I...I was always jealous of you for being so strong like that..."

"You're a great idiot," she spat and I nictated.

"Masako━"

"Just because of that, you went out with somebody else? How idiotic can you be? How can you apathetically use somebody else for your own revenge and satisfaction?"

I was slowly getting furious somehow. Trying to be calm, I said, "_**I am not **_using Claude to make Naru jealous. I _**love**_ Claude."

Masako looked as though she had bitten a lemon. "You're a great liar. You can fool yourself, but you can never fool others."

"Well, what do you want me to do?" I demanded, my tone rising. "Become assertive like you? Dote on Naru like you? I can't be you! I can't persistently love Naru anymore because he will never return my feelings! It hurts to know that reality, but I'm trying to move on! Why can't anybody see that? I already did my best, but just doing my best wasn't enough!"

Masako was taciturn and covered her mouth with her kimono sleeve adversely.

"Claude...he was different," I carried on ardently. "He understood me, and he made me feel loved. I wanted Naru to return my feelings too, but he didn't. He couldn't love me when he never knew what love is in the first place! So, I turned to Claude. I depended on him to heal me from the pain of reality. Yes, I used him in that sense. I used him...to maintain my sanity."

I tasted the tears that streaked my face and soaked the red bedsheets. "Is it wrong? Is it wrong to want to be with someone who loves you? Is it wrong to be with someone who truly cares for you rather than with someone you love who doesn't even feel or care? But I did fall for Claude...I have fallen for him...He makes me happy, and I want to be with him. Yes, I still love Naru more, but I've fallen for somebody else. I'm expanding my horizon. Is that wrong?"

"It is," Masako relentlessly riposted.

I couldn't understand her opposition. "Masako, why are you━?"

"You still love Naru, and you're really blind for not seeing Naru's feelings! You warned me years ago that you might become my rival again. And just last May, you've reentered the love war, so FINISH IT!" Masako gritted out venomously to my perplexity. "What's this dilly-dallying and zigzagging roundabout? You always give away your chances without a fight, and I always have to take it!"

Masako. Snapped.

I eyed her in shock, but I knew. I knew so well what she meant.

It wasn't Naru who had a great wall of defenses; it was me. I...was protecting myself all along. I...didn't give up on Naru because of pain...or because I believed Masako deserved him...I gave up on Naru...because I was a coward. I was afraid...that if I didn't give up on Naru...I would be undergoing the same pattern...and Naru would still not return my feelings. I was afraid...that despite my resiliency...Naru would never love me.

It was the same cycle as before. I was still afraid of being hurt. I was afraid...

But what was I supposed to do? All my life, I had been struggling to live. When my mother died, I had been struggling to live and be strong for myself. I had been struggling to get the things I wanted even though they were so superficial. I had been struggling to gain recognition, attention, and affection from people around me. When I met Naru, my life changed, and my life revolved around him. I became hopelessly vulnerable. I became weak and sensitive and pathetic.

But I didn't want that...so I protected myself.

My mother once told me...that chasing someone running away...wouldn't guarantee that the person would give you the fruit. I was afraid that...my love wouldn't come to fruition. I was afraid that...in the end...what I would get would be a destructed me. So, I stopped chasing.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...for being such an idiot..." I wiped my face with my backhands. "But...I do like Claude very much. I...don't want to lose him too. I still love Naru more; I know, but...I don't want to lose anyone again...I...I'm selfish...I know."

Masako goggled at me...and she looked...I couldn't explain. But there was something in it...

"He was taken," Masako spoke slowly, and I gazed at her in confusion at the sudden change of topic.

"What are you━?"

"Murakami-san was taken." Masako didn't look at me but at her lap. "He was protecting Rika-chan...and me...and he was...caught by a monstrous apparition..."

Masako's lip trembled, and the world crashed in front of me. Absorbing what she said, I finally...understood the ominous presentiment that permeated within me.

_Claude was taken...Bou-san lied to me...? Claude was taken...He'll be murdered!_

"No..." I shook my head feebly and ran my hands through my hair. "No...! That can't be...He went to Tokyo, right? He _**just went**_ to Tokyo, right? He wasn't taken then! Bou-san said━"

"He lied to you," Masako revealed. "He lied to you...so you wouldn't worry."

I gaped at her incredulously. "No...No, he didn't! I saw Bou-san's face! It wasn't a lying f━"

"He was taken!" Masako snarled with a pained look. "How many times do I have to repeat it? He protected Rika-chan and me! It's our fault! It's _**my **_fault! So hate me! This is the reality we've been hiding from you throughout this day! This is the reality Naru wanted us to hide from you. This is the reality...that made Naru fetter you to the bed."

For the first time, I saw tears rain down Masako's face. She ogled at me sorrily, and I snuffled and began crying again.

"Claude...was taken? W-why? How can this be...?"

_Claude...Claude...! _Images of Claude ran through my mind, and I joggled my head. "No! Not Claude! Not him! He said we'll be going to Osaka after this! He said we'll spend the summer vacation together! He said━He said he won't leave me!"

It was like something rammed my chest mentally, and I coughed. I couldn't feel anything at all, but the mental anguish...the mental pain...the emotional pain. I could feel it even without feeling physical injury. I could feel it...

"No...!" I wept. Guilt crushed my heart like a tidal wave. It slammed every fiber of my being, and I doubled over in sadness.

_Kami-sama...why are you removing the important people in my life?_

_Why...are you persecuting me so much?_

Liza's warning reverberated once more in my head, and I perked up.

"_...or you will die," Liza had said..._

What if...what if this was why she said that? What if...the only way to save Claude...was for me to die?

It struck me, and I halted moping.

If Claude could live because of my death...then...wouldn't that make my death not pointless? Wouldn't that...not only give meaning to my life...but also to my death itself?

_Kami-sama...if I would die saving someone I love...Naru or Claude...or the rest of the SPR gang...then I have no qualms about that._

_This isn't the time for crying! I can do something! I **must** do something!_

I whizzed to Masako who had muffled her cries by hiding in her sleeves.

"Masako..." She languidly perked up at me in wonder at my urgent tone. "I...have a plan."

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 5; 8:12 pm-DAY 6; 12:15 am**

It was the narcissist's turn to guard me as Masako had informed when another knock sounded on the door. Masako scrammed with a furtive nod to me, and...

"Screw you," I shot vehemently to the narcissist.

He didn't retort, but we stared each other down as though trying to incinerate each other with invisible laser beams. Then, he approached and set down a tray with a mint green teapot and teacup, and I noticed how he smelled of honey ginger tea.

He glanced at my face and loured...He probably observed...how puffy mine and Masako's eyelids were, but he didn't say anything yet stood and waited for me to speak up.

Without fail, I gestured with my head at my chained wrist. "What's with the fettering? I'm no dog━!"

He suspired. "You've never done that."

"Done what?" I scowled.

"Become ladylike when you're with me."

I blinked in bewilderment and then stared at him unwaveringly. "I found no reason to. Are you fettering me because of that? Because if that's the case, then you've gone quite insane now, idiot scientist."

His jaw clenched, but he didn't retort again. Instead, he sat down on the edge of the bed beside me and sighed; he appeared clearly exhausted. There were faint shadows under his eyes.

"I tried, Mai."

"You mean you pretended to try." He had probably tried to use psychometry to find out where Claude is, but he was frustrated...probably at no results...as Masako had said to me.

"I already touched everything Murakami-san brought with him, and nothing still came up."

I just kept my silence.

Naru soughed. "Talk, Mai."

"Will talking to you even help find him? Because if you really wanted to find him, you wouldn't be sitting here and telling me about how your psychometry wouldn't work!"

I knew I shouldn't be angry at him. It's displacement; I knew. But then, I'd rather be angry at Naru than whatever took Claude. Why I was doing such to Naru...? I had no idea. But everything just infuriated me so much too. If anything...the person I was angry the most...was myself.

Inscrutable, Naru eyed me intensely and solemnly. "I saw you die."

It's a statement that I'd already suspected from the start, so I just arched an eyebrow in nonchalance. "So?"

"I won't leave you. I won't let you die." It was a very rare assurance from him...

I shrugged as though I hear such a line everyday. "Death is natural. Didn't you say that when we found Gene?"

My heart fluttered, but...I remembered Claude. He'd said he wouldn't leave me too. But he was taken...He was taken when he was protecting Rika-chan, Masako, and...me.

Such an occurrence...It just proved that the main culprit was capable of everything.

Should I just sit like a damsel in distress all the time? Should I just wait for everything to end and let everyone save me again?

I'd had enough of being treated like that! Until when should I let others sacrifice themselves for me?

Until when should I remain unmoving and futile?

It was like my heart had frozen. "As assuring as that sounds, I have no time to idle around while fettered to a bed! Every second spent chatting and sitting around just increases the chances of Claude being killed already!"

I didn't feel the tears that ran down my cheeks, but I tasted the familiar salty taste like an encore. Naru saw them, and he looked...rueful as he handed me a box of tissues from the bedside table...The same brand of tissues Claude had handed to me after I saw Masako and Naru on that bloody May day...and a gasp of despair egressed from me.

It's cruel. _Reality is cruel._

"It's not also the time to be reckless, Mai...Whoever is behind all of this would want us to do that," Naru said quietly as I wept once more.

I stared at him hotly. "Claude is going to die; can you understand that? The culprit can have me dead, and I don't care! Claude wasn't supposed to be in this case! Claude wasn't supposed to be in danger! So, how can I just sit back and let myself be protected as what always happens?"

Recurrently, Naru's jaw clenched; then, he gazed at me and said astoundingly, acidly, "Why do you not give more importance to your life?"

My answer was smooth. "Because I, unlike you, don't have much self-preservation! I know to what extent I should love myself, unlike you. I love Claude, and I want to protect him. But you will never understand that, right? Even now, you think of love as some joke, right?"

Naru frowned. "That's not the p━"

"It is!" I interjected venomously. "But you will never understand because you've never loved someone!"

We gave each other a withering look as though there's no tomorrow. But, Naru broke the static first.

The quiet swallowed us, and I couldn't help but cogitate then. If Naru had openly hated me, I wouldn't have been caught in two bridges. I wouldn't have fallen in love with him at all. And I would be able to love Claude fully and dearly; I would be able to protect him despite the complexity of the case. I wouldn't be confused on whom to focus on.

I didn't like being indecisive, yet my heart...had always been so, and I'd always followed its reckless flow.

Obaa-san was right.

However, I never intended to keep on following my heart's random flow without the approval of my mind for once. I wanted to try my best with my feelings with Claude. I didn't want to lose him. It's Claude who loves me back and not Naru. That's the reality I was facing.

I knew who to choose beforehand.

And it's not Naru.

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Hey," I called after about half an hour of quiescence.

"What is it?" Naru replied crossly. He was evidently still fed up with things said earlier.

"Toilet," I told him unabashedly.

Contemplating and his features softening, he peered at me, and I became discomfited.

"I haven't gone all day, so I think I need it!" I was flustered. Although I still couldn't feel anything, I had to guess around about my normal body functions including...digestion and...

Soughing, he nodded before fishing a key out of his pocket and unlocking the handcuff.

_Gre_━_!_

A sharp clicking sound was heard, and I gawked at my wrist. "Wha━You━!"

He had handcuffed us together instantaneously.

He shrugged. "I'll come with you."

I probably reddened. "I can go to the toilet myself!"

"Yeah, but you'll probably escape."

"Why, you━?" He saw through me!

Blasé, he sighed. "Are you really going or not?"

"I am! And I might take a _**dump**_, you know?" I blurted; I was chagrined at him.

He eyed me for a split second and then lifted a corner of his mouth. "Fine by me."

"Y-you! Don't you dare laugh! You're the one who locked us together, so you better not regret it!" I warned.

He was amused. "Don't worry. I'll endure it."

"Wha━You! Moh!" I was really embarrassed. I somehow forgot I was irked at him a while ago.

Sheesh! Why did he have to do this? Why wouldn't he let me go?

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

In the bathroom, he had turned his back to me. I warily slipped my underwear down, bunched up the hem of my dress, sat on the toilet bowl, and put a long towel to cover my lower parts and underwear.

"I'm _**really**_ going to take a dump, you know..." I reiterated.

"Yeah, go ahead," he returned, deadpan.

I probably flushed again. _Geez...why did he have to make this awkward?_

_Why...?_

"If I die, you can dissect me," I uttered sheepishly as possible to detract from the humiliating current situation.

He scowled at me. "Don't be ridiculous. I won't let you die."

It was my turn to shrug. "What? Isn't that what you wanted to do to Gene's body before? If I die, you can dissect my body and finally find out what part of me is responsible for my powers. Don't you like the sound of that? You'll probably gain an _**international outstanding merit**_. You're a mad scientist, after all. Won't that make you happy? It'll be a _**great honor**_ if my body was used for such achievement."

He glowered at me, but he didn't respond. After all, I was throwing HIS OWN THOUGHTS back at him. It's quite ironic how I'd become cheekier when near my destined death.

I shunted my head.

"Why...are you trying so hard?" I interrogated. "I'm not your type, right? So why...are you being like this?"

We ogled at each other in silence. Then...

"I'm an idiot, you know," I began enumerating with my fingers.

"Yeah..." He nodded a little.

Pondering, I tilted my head━another finger up. "I'm short."

"Yes."

"I'm reckless."

"Always," he added.

"I have a bad mouth," I pointed out.

"Hn."

"I'm childish."

He jounced his head. "Very."

"I pick my nose," I persisted.

He swished his head and raised an eyebrow at me. "Who doesn't?"

"I'm not sexy and beautiful," I growled.

"That's not true."

My heart was knocked out.

_Dang!_

"Wha━You━How can you say that?" I was probably as red as the bedsheets in the bedroom.

He spun to face me.

"If I answer that, will you still try to save that guy?" he questioned.

Puzzled, I nictated. "What?"

"If I let you go, will you still come back to me?" he queried with his usual straight face.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I didn't know...what to say, but...I understood then.

_Ah...I see...So in the end...this is all just a game of wild goose chase for him...In the end...his goal to make me be with him...is just plain self-interest._

"Selfish narcissist," I gritted menacingly, "I hate you!"

He stared at me. "Mai, what━?"

"You want him dead right? You want Claude to die, right? How selfish can you become? When will you ever be satisfied? Now that you couldn't be with me, you're trying to chase me? Hah! Enough of this farce already!"

Everything came back full force. _That's right...because I've become a puzzle...unable to be grasped...he wanted to solve me_━

There was a plopping sound in the toilet bowl, and I somehow wanted to kill myself with the embarrassment.

Naru tilted his head in wonder. "It fell?"

I got an unused toilet paper roll and pitched it to him. "Don't say what's obvious, jerk!"

He dodged, and I growled at him.

Why did my atomic bomb bloody drop at such an untimely moment? Dang it!

He covered his nose and mouth.

Extremely embarrassed, I shot, "Don't laugh!"

"I'm not going to," he assured and shrugged.

Probably erubescent, I looked away.

He was enduring the smell...He was always tolerating me...But what if his love wasn't love but simply tolerance in the end? But he's enduring...always enduring me...

My heart...it was mentally racing again...

He's unfair. When I was supposedly angry at him...just one comment...just one sly unfeeling comment...and my anger poofed.

I couldn't...I couldn't really hate him...even after everything that happened..._I still love Naru._

Should I really believe in him?

Should I really believe that he loves me?

Should I really believe in what he professed?

_But...what about Claude?_

_I...love Claude too._

_I want to save him._

_I will save him!_

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**1:30-1:40 am**

_He's sleeping..._

I stared at Naru's slumbering face.

After taking a dump (I made sure to flush every time my bomb plopped, and I sprayed some built-in perfume constantly in order to mask and conquer the smell━though the overspraying made us cough), Naru had re-fettered me to the bed as quick as a mongoose again, and he'd sat on the chair beside the bed. I'd soon fallen into a dreamless sleep (some after-pooping respite), but it was brief since I noted on a weird monkey clock that it's just about 3 hours after.

Naru was slouched on the edge of the bed then. He was probably waiting for me to sleep before him...and tried not to give in...but sleep won over. His arms crossed and a side of his face nestling on them, he looked so serene...and more...like other ordinary boys I usually see dozing off in classes.

If I was the same a few months ago, I would have been very thrilled at seeing Naru sleep. But I wasn't the same then. The tidal waves within and outside the castle had changed me drastically.

He...didn't sleep last night...to find Claude.

I knew that all the bad things I'd mouthed to him were blind accusations. I knew...yet I'd hurt him...I...drove him away...

I shook my head. _No...There's something I must do. There's something I __**can **__do._

Slipping a hand in my dress's pocket, I took the key Masako had handed to me. It was a spare key that Kirio-kun had given her; it turned out that the handcuffs were his in the first place, and it was one of his police 'toys' (it's bloody real metal to be just a toy, honestly). How she got it from him so quickly...I would never know...

Maybe in the afterlife...

I unlocked the handcuffs and placed them on the bed as quietly as I could. I carefully and soundlessly got out of the bed by the other side. However, I couldn't help looking back at Naru's slumbering figure again.

_Sorry..._

_Goodbye._

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

The former narcissist's consciousness drifted in an abyss of nothingness.

_Naru..._

He was alerted by her voice. He riposted, _Mai, where are_━_?_

_Goodbye, Naru...I...love you._ Her voice resonated in the abyss.

_Why are you_━_?_ he heard his mystified voice, but he halted when he felt something cold, sweet, and spicy touch his...

Naru woke up with a jolt, found the bed empty, bolted from the chair, and spun around.

_Mai!_

She was nowhere to be seen, but...Naru had tasted his lips...and recognized the honey ginger tea he'd brought...

_Why...?_

_Why do you have to die?_

Stumped and defeated, he slumped on the bed and raked his hands through his hair. He was extremely frustrated with himself...

And something unwittingly dripped down his cheeks.

Again and again and again.

If he was the same, he would be rational. But, he wasn't the same anymore; he'd become a senseless human being.

Still, one despicable fact remained unchanging; he was still powerless against the god of death in the end.

"Idiot..."

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

"_**Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. But, I'm not so sure about the universe."**_

_**~Albert Einstein~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

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**A/N: Thanks to those who read and reviewed! I love you guys! Yes, I know this is such a frustrating story, and I'm getting frustrated too. T_T Sorry! It's probably why only a few people read it. o.O **

**But, yeah, I'm quite a perfectionist with conflicts (I think); it's my disease. Sorry T_T!**

**Anyway, JUST TWO DAYS! Or two nights. That's all you have to wait for the next chapter! Wheee! I already finished chap 14, but I don't have time to do my magic (editing and revising) for now since I have to help my mom cook for Christmas orders. =.=**

_Who is the culprit?_

_a. Kirio-kun_

_b. Tenura-san_

_c. Claude_

_d. Midoriko_

_e. Fumenmoku_

_f. Undecided_

**1 more chap to go, and you'll know the main culprit!**


	14. Firefly

**A/N: When I first wrote this story, I can't help thinking; what if people will hate it? What if people won't read it anymore? What if it's not as exciting as Reminiscence? All those insecurities of the prequel daunted me. In every chapter, the praises of Reminiscence loomed over me. I truly want to make this story better; that's what I thought. But, such motivation can sometimes be trampled over and over.**

**To those who have reached this chapter (even if the events that led them to reading this are merely caused by stretched patience and even if the events have turned opposite from what they wanted to happen), I am very grateful. Why am I being sentimental? I'm just happy that there are still people who read my stories. I've never expected that a lot will; the traffic stats are amazing! To be honest, I just think my ideas are lame compared to others, those more experienced writers.**

**But, if I have at least touched people by this crappy writing of mine, I guess I can say that I can die happy. Writing has always been my dream, my ambition, and I am living in the moment right now. So, thank you to everyone, belated or advance. ^^**

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**Review**

Stumped and defeated, he slumped on the bed and ran his hands through his hair. He was extremely frustrated with himself...

And something unwittingly dripped down his cheeks.

Again and again and again.

If he was the same, he would be rational. But, he wasn't the same anymore; he'd become a senseless human being.

Still, one despicable fact remained unchanging; he was still powerless against the god of death in the end.

"Idiot..."

**End of Review**

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"_**The sleep of reason produces monsters."**_

_**~Goya~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**DAY 6: 2:00-2:35 am**

Everyone was roused from sleep. Apprehension, panic, and pretense wrapped each and everyone of them at the news of Mai's escape. It was only then that Naru...had revealed that Mai's death was for certain...because he'd seen it, but he wanted everyone to not think of that as an immediate reality but as a motivation of finding her.

The most affected of them all, however, was Masako. Her knees gave away after hearing about Naru's psychometric vision, and she grew the palest. Unbeknownst to everyone...she was the one who helped Mai escape. She...trusted Mai. She trusted Mai because...she was convinced of the look Mai had given her. Mai had persuaded Masako...that she knew what to do...that she would tell Naru about her plan...that they would think of something together...and Masako had believed her. Masako...found out then that...Mai must have been bluffing...that Mai...was actually lying to her...and that she was the idiot who believed Mai. She...was very foolish to have trusted Mai when the latter was going to be in such danger...when the medium had a foreboding feeling why Naru had handcuffed Mai to the bed in the first place...

"I'm sorry!" Masako sobbed suddenly, ruefully. Naru would hate her more because of what she'd done. Naru would hate her more if she was the cause of Mai's death. Naru would hate her more if...

Masako wailed, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Masako, what are you saying?" Not knowing what to do of the abrupt outburst, Ayako patted the medium's back as the younger woman sat crying on the floor of the base.

"Hara-san..." John murmured but didn't say anything more.

Regret gobbled Masako's heart. "I freed her! I gave her the spare key! She said she had a plan, and I believed her!"

It was the first time that they saw the medium act very uncomposed. It was the first time that they saw her cry so...like a child...

"It's my fault! It's my fault!" Masako confessed, and nobody knew how to react on such admission.

As Ayako tried to voicelessly comfort the young medium, the rest, lost, ogled at Naru.

"W-what are we going to do, Naru-bou?" Takigawa inquired a little uneasily. The young boss was staring into space after Masako's confession, and the monk...was unnerved of what contemptuous thoughts lurked in the former narcissist's mind. He felt sorry for Masako then because he knew...that she must have feared she would be loathed by the person she loves.

When Naru finally turned to the monk, however, he just uttered, "We will search the seventh floor again."

And then the young man astonishingly approached the weeping Masako and said, "It's not Hara-san's fault. From what I saw, it was not you who killed Mai. You helped Mai escape out of trust and not malice. There is nothing to blame yourself about."

"But━!" Masako looked up to Naru's face, and she halted to reply. It was then that she observed...the sadness in Naru's eyes despite his cool and calm expression. She became cognizant then of how it actually, greatly affected him the most.

_He saw Mai die...He saw her die..._Masako came to comprehend that the one whom Naru hates right then wasn't her. It wasn't her but himself. It was Naru who guarded Mai last. It was him...

Masako sniffed. "Sorry...I didn't know...I didn't know..."

Naru just muttered again, "It's not your fault," and then declared, "We will search the seventh floor once more. Lin, have you finished making the charms for removal of illusions?"

The Chinese man shook his head. "I still need to make a hundred more for it to take effect. The illusion in this castle isn't ordinary."

"Matsuzaki-san will also write charms," Naru ordered, and the miko just nodded absentmindedly. "Yasuhara, Hara-san, and Brown-san will gather materials for Lin and Matsuzaki-san to use. Takigawa-san, your vajra will also be needed to eradicate the illusion."

The others bobbed their heads without dissent, and everyone came to action immediately. When Masako's cries had abated and she had calmed down, she aided Yasuhara and John in collecting papers, brushes, and ink bottles for the charms.

There was no time to waste moping around, and they could only hope...that Mai and Claude would stay alive when the SPR gang would arrive to where they were brought into.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

Although not entirely finished in making charms, they had ascended to the seventh floor and started sticking scrawled papers on the walls and doors.

"Beyond, beyond, beyond the beyond, beyond beyond the beyond, homage to thee..." Takigawa started dispelling.

"Wait!" Lin suddenly halted Takigawa from hammering his vajra on a table.

Surprised, the monk asked the Chinese man, "What are you on about?"

"There's none..." Lin mumbled in bewilderment.

"What?" Ayako demanded.

"Lin, what is it?" Naru approached.

"My shikis told me...that the illusions had been lifted...by the caster."

They stared at him, and the young boss murmured, "It's inviting us..."

"It must be a trap, Boss!" Yasuhara speculated, but Naru just wended to the 10th door on the right of the wall across the stairs and barged in. Worried at the young man's flight, the rest stopped their pasting tasks and followed the former narcissist inside the room. Naru pushed aside the red spider lily tapestry, and they were astounded to see a hallway beyond a broken mirror behind it.

"How━?" The monk stared. When he, Ayako, Masako, and Yasuhara were looking behind the paintings and tapestries as Naru had instructed last night, there was no such entrance...

Naru went in and trod the hallway beyond.

"Naru!" Lin called and hurried through the opening. The others scurried through too; although, they're still nonplussed at everything that's occurring.

The hallway was dimly lit by candle chandeliers. Ceiling-to-floor mirrors lined both sides of the aisle, and...Gasps and shudders issued from the rest as they passed the disengaged doll parts.

"What kind of place is this...?" Masako's lip trembled, and she covered her mouth with her sleeve. "Th-those things...I-it smells of...blood."

"Just ignore them, Hara-san," John suggested. "The culprit is probably daunting us."

The medium bobbed her head and inched closer to the pack, and the others just silently followed John's advice. Soon enough, on the floor was a hole and a lid of matching shape. Wordlessly and hastily again, Naru jumped down on a crate on a platform ladder below the hole and was followed by Lin and the rest; the ladder momentarily shook at their weight. Subsequently, they descended the platform ladder with curious glances at the paintings on the yellow walls and anxious visages at the sight of the aflame fireplace in a deserted tower.

The tower was the same as Naru and Mai had left it, but...the young boss noticed that something was missing...

"So this is...?" Ayako trailed off, somewhat timorous when they landed on the hard stone floor.

"The tower Mai and I had found," was the former narcissist's curt reply. "It's Kou Mochiyuma's studio, the tower of Fumenmoku Wakkako's husband."

"Hey, Naru-bou, Mai wrote something on this canvas," Takigawa informed (before Naru could lunge towards the door and out of the tower) and started to read the red-painted piece on the floor, "Take this off, and take a good look...It's not Midoriko..."

There was seemingly infinite quiescence at first.

"What...does Mai mean? Wasn't it Midoriko who was killed here?" Ayako spoke finally.

Before long, hesitating and shrugging, Naru bent one of his knees down and doffed the canvas on the floor. Then, everyone stared at the cubed pieces, which formed a perplexing image. Consequently, Masako and Ayako gasped while Naru squinted his eyes on the finished puzzle. He'd recognized it in milliseconds: the painting made by Kou Mochiyuma using Puzzled Cubism.

"Shibuya-san, there's another scribble!" John pointed on the floor below the image.

...And Naru lifted a corner of his mouth in an untimely boastful smile. _So she found out that the title is jumbled just as the subject..._

"This..." Shivering a little, Masako hid her mouth.

"Not Midoriko..." Takigawa murmured.

Yasuhara nodded. "We were confused because they're━"

"FUTAGO-ZA..." Ayako echoed Mai's red paint scribble.

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

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*FUTAGO-ZA=Gemini=the twins (futago)

**A/N: Yeah, some of you must have guessed already. ^^ So yeah, I know it's not much of a shock. Next chapter will be the great revelation! Who's really the culprit? You'll all know next chapter!**

**1 chap to go! XD JUST ONE WEEK to wait. I'll be updating before or on New Year's Eve as a final gift for this year! ^^ I just have to edit and revise the next chap when my really free day comes next week.**

**Merry Christmas to everyone, and I'm very sorry for this very frustrating story I'd created. T_T The frustration will be lifted soon. Promise!**

**Next will be entitled "Shadow of the Doll." Freaky title, right? lol How was this chapter? You may share your thoughts. ^^**


	15. Shadow of the Doll

**A/N: Thank you to all those who read and reviewed! I'm so happy you enjoyed my story! *cries with joy***

**OBE=out-of-body-experience  
**

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**Review**

"Shibuya-san, there's another scribble!" John pointed on the floor below the image.

...And Naru lifted a corner of his mouth in an untimely boastful smile. _So she found out that the title is jumbled just as the subject..._

"This..." Shivering a little, Masako hid her mouth.

"Not Midoriko..." Takigawa murmured.

Yasuhara nodded. "We were confused because they're━"

"FUTAGO-ZA..." Ayako echoed Mai's red paint scribble.

**End of Review**

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**DAY 6; 2:30-2:46 am**

My vision was blurry at first. Then, adjusting to the torch lights, I rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly.

_Where am I?_

I nictated.

I was in a cage: the same cage in my dream. _How did I━?_

I recalled wending to the seventh floor, to the 10th door on the right, and to the broken entrance behind the red spider lily tapestry... to the hallway of mirrors and mutilated doll parts...to the hole on the floor and to Kou-san's tower where I saw the painting puzzle I'd finished in my OBE dream...Then...when I was getting some phosphorous candles by the kitchenette...

I was knocked out senseless from behind.

_So that's why I'm here..._

I stood up and swiveled around and yelped.

On the corner where the heap of unfinished dolls were in my dream, thousands of finished and garbed dolls stood and formed a pyramid by perching their porcelain-like feet on other dolls' shoulders. All their eyes were thankfully closed, but just the sight of them in a mountain-like formation that's looming over me was very unsettling and frightening.

I would really never look at a mannequin the same way again.

I gulped and shunted my head from the intimidating sight. Then, my eyes expanded, and I gasped, "Claude! Rika!"

Unlike in my dream, it was Claude who lay on the limestone block and not a doll. While, sitting with her back on the limestone was Rika-chan. They were both unconscious, and their clothes were unclean.

I dashed to them and shook them while telling them to wake up, but they wouldn't budge. They're still alive though━which was a relief at least...

There was a moan, and I bent down to the stirring Rika-chan.

"Rika!" I shouted so loud in exhilaration that it reflected to the walls. I still didn't rouse Claude though.

"M-Mai-nee...?" she murmured sleepily and rubbed her eyes. When she finally came to, she gave a gasp and cried.

"M-Mai-nee!" she sobbed. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Chiaki-nii protected me, and I wanted to save him, but━but━!"

"Shh," I hushed and embraced and cradled her on my lap. "It's not your fault. It's not."

She joggled her head while sniveling. "I'm a bad child! I couldn't even p-protect myself!"

"No. You're not a bad child. You wanted to save Claude. If you were bad, you wouldn't be risking your life by being here."

She was like me: reckless. It made me smile somehow.

_They're both safe. That's what's important._

Rika-chan was very dirty, her white clothes sooty and some places were torn. She was shivering terribly and more so when she sighted the hill of finished dolls, so I continued to hug her as she wept in fear.

"M-Mai-nee! W-Where are we? W-what's going to happen to us? What are we going to do?" Her lips quivered.

I rocked her gently on my lap. "Everything's going to be okay. Believe me."

Although, it was a famous 'in peril' lie.

"B-but━!"

I shushed her and then pulled apart to gaze at her reassuringly. "It's going to be alright, okay?"

Rika-chan reluctantly nodded. "Okay..."

...

...

...

Then I stared.

And backed away.

"You...you're not Rika!"

Rika-chan tilted her head. "Mai-nee...?"

I wished I had felt something at that instance. But, my intuition definitely shut down for me not to notice it before.

_Kami-sama! Why are her eyes so gleefully pretentious?_

_Why Rika-chan of all━?_

Rika-chan continued to ogle at me with an...expression of wonder and innocence. Her sobs had halted almost immediately...

_No! I must get a hold of myself!_

Gaining strength and courage, I repeated with a glare, "You're not Rika."

Rika-chan shrugged...

And she grinned like a Cheshire cat with her pupils yellowing and her irises blackening and slitting vertically...

Like a snake.

"It took you so long, Mai-nee-chan~~" she said in a sickly sweet voice.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

_I can't believe it...This can't be!_

I had straightened and surged to grab one of those mutilated doll arms for defense, but I was petrified on the spot like in my dream.

_Dang it!_

"Y-you! W-what are you?" I stammered and exclaimed in horror and disbelief at the...entity standing before me. "Why are you possessing Rika?"

It wasn't Fumenmoku after all; I could feel it. It was someone else...some other monster!

"Ohhh, did you enjoy the memories I gave you?" The imposter or demon or whatever ignored my query and looked pleased. "They were very eventful and melodramatic, right? Humans create very interesting conflicts, don't you agree?"

I blinked, flummoxed. "Memo━?"

I gasped. "You were the one who did that to the sisters?"

She just smiled at me wittingly. "Who knows?"

"Why? Why did you destroy their━?"

"Destroy?" Rika-or-I-don't-know-what-anymore smirked. "I didn't destroy anything. You see, Fumenmoku wanted to create her shadow so that she and her beloved can be free. And I helped her; I made Midoriko her shadow."

I was deeply muddled. "What are you ta━?"

"Buuut, that girl found out earlier than I'd expected, and she pushed me over a cliff~~" Rika intercepted. "Quite an ingrate she was. Soooo, when she was assured that I'm dead, I pushed her in return~~"

I gawked and widened my eyes in fear. "Y-You schemer!"

"Schemer?" Rika cackled. "Am I, really? You see, humans are very selfish, and they only realize their selfishness when they're punished for it."

"How could you?" I snarled, and Rika shrugged again, pouting.

"Buuuuut, there's a reason why you must be careful in what you wish, you know." Rika-whatever beamed wickedly. "Fumenmoku never thought of the possibility that her shadow might replace her. And you see, _**not all birds can fly**_~~ In the end, whose fault is it that she still got trapped, and her shadow is the one that roamed free?"

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe how such iniquity could be spoken with a child's angelic voice.

"Why? You killed so many people!"

"Why not? There are billions of you in this world. What's wrong about killing a few thousands?" She frowned. "I really can't understand you humans. Besides, the death of those people I had chosen is something **_beneficial_**; Fumenmoku will get the rebirth she's been hoping for and so as the rest. They'll all be reborn into better and happier lives as they had wanted. Still, why do you mourn for every death? It's inconceivable."

"You! You're sick! Get out of Rika-chan's body, you demon! Stop possessing a child!" I spat.

Peeved, I still couldn't break free from the immobilization.

_Why am I always fettered? Dang it!_

Rika blinked. Then, she laughed hysterically again.

"Stop laughing!" I admonished. "Why are you doing this? Before, it was Fumenmoku and Midoriko, and now it's Rika! Why are you possessing and killing people?"

Rika stopped snickering and just beamed in evil amusement. In a sickly sweet girly voice again, she squealed, "You really don't understand, Mai-nee-chan~~"

I glowered gutsily and fired, "What are you━?"

"You **_really_ **don't understand." Her grin expanded feloniously. "You see...Rika and Midoriko..."

She giggled. "_Never existed!_"

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

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"_**Belief is the death of intelligence."**_

_**~Robert Anton Wilson~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

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**A/N: And I end this year with a bang! Seems like Robert Wilson and our culprit think alike! What a great mockery to us, right?**

**Surprised?**

**Alright, DON'T KILL ME! ****Yes, yes, I played a dirty trick: a very misleading question! XD I'm guilty! Sorry T_T**

**Anyway, why not Claude? It just never crossed my mind to make him that great a villain. O.o Besides, he's essential in my evil internal conflict, not the external. Yeah, it would make Mai's decision easy. But I don't like that kind of set-up: making someone look SO bad (more bad than the other) just so the other would be the better choice. That usually happens in shoujo manga and in movies and maybe a little in real life. But I DON'T want to do that plot technique. There are some periods in life wherein we are given two great choices, and we only have to choose one. That's the one I would want to present, so I'm very sorry if I don't pull the same tricks as other writers. T.T**

**But, yeah, don't worry ^^ I'm a NaruXMai fan through and through, and you all know I MAKE WAYS for everything lol. **

**Next chapter is entitled "Buddha." See you next chap ^^ 2 CHAPS TO GO! o.O *gasp* Mai will dieeee! OMG!**


	16. Buddha

**ACKNOWLEDGMENTS****:** **I would like to thank those who reviewed chapters 10-15; namely:**

Yume

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crazy-in-the-mind

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smilingspaz

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a no-name** (whoever was it that did not leave a name in their review; such a mysterious reader! I'm really awed XD)**

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**To those who just recently reviewed the previous chapters: **Yewberry Noon, Torublossom, **and** bigtomato**...Thank you :D Last but not the least, I would like to bow down gratefully to **xSapphirexRosesxFanx** for being an avid reader and reviewer ever since. You have stuck with me in this story from the very start, and I'm so flattered by your dedication and patience. T_T Thank you so much! You all made my life more fruitful with your feedbacks and remarks. It really means a lot to have such an interaction from the readers despite how scarce it is. ^^**

**Anyway, that aside, enjoy this second to the last chap!**

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**Review**

"You! You're sick! Get out of Rika-chan's body, you demon! Stop possessing a child!" I spat.

Peeved, I still couldn't break free from the immobilization.

_Why am I always fettered? Dang it!_

Rika blinked. Then, she laughed hysterically again.

"Stop laughing!" I admonished. "Why are you doing this? Before, it was Fumenmoku and Midoriko, and now it's Rika! Why are you possessing and killing people?"

Rika stopped snickering and just beamed in evil amusement. In a sickly sweet girly voice again, she squealed, "You really don't understand, Mai-nee-chan~~"

I glowered gutsily and fired, "What are you━?"

"You **_really_ **don't understand." Her grin expanded feloniously. "You see...Rika and Midoriko..."

She giggled. "_Never existed!_"

**End of Review**

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**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"_**I am the master of my fate.**_

_**I am the captain of my soul."**_

_**~From Invictus, a poem by William Ernest Henley~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

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**DAY 6; 2:37-2:45 am**

The SPR gang did not linger in Kou-san's tower. After deducing inwardly by themselves what Mai had pointed out to them through her paint scribbles, they no longer spared some time for discussion. Before long, they had hightailed out of the studio and the tunnel and followed the former narcissist's lead.

Naru guided them to another subway, which directed to the greenhouse. Having pocketed flashlights beforehand, they irradiated the path with their wandering beams. The greenhouse was open as Naru had left it. Consequently, the young boss entered and turned on the light switch. The old light bulbs illuminated the secluded wildlife. Bright green palm trees, some fruit trees, strawberry bushes, some flower beds, herbs, and numerous vegetable roots filled their nostrils with different aromas. If not for the urgency of their mission, they would have gladly strolled around in amazement for nature's survival despite decades of neglect. But, there was no time to dawdle.

They cantered the grimy stone steps while eyeing the dingy glass walls and ceiling. At the end of the path was a similarly drab glass door. It was something Naru had never ventured out previously. A few days prior, after all, he was more occupied with procuring food supply for Mai and himself.

_Mai..._The thought of her induced an indescribable stinging twinge in his guts. Even if there was delay to her death than Gene's, it didn't mean his psychometric vision wouldn't come true.

When they would meet up with Mai, Naru knew that she would kill herself for his sake.

Every fiber of him contrarily wanted to run away and not let such possibility to happen. His pride wouldn't be able to take the guilt and the responsibility of being the reason of somebody else's death. But Naru didn't want to protect himself from pain anymore. He'd had enough of cowering in the depths of his ego boundary. He'd had enough of being inhumanely pathetic.

He just became cognizant that he's smitten with Mai, so why would he back down so easily just because he'd get hurt? Why would he be a coward when Mai had always faced him forthrightly despite the fact that she's embarrassed to show her love for him?

For the first time, Oliver Davis or Kazuya Shibuya or, simply, Naru mocked and quelled his insouciance. What absurdity of a life had he been living until now? It was so laughable that he couldn't bring himself to self-destruct.

But then, death for himself was the last thing he had on mind. He would have to be alive if she would be alive. Who else would be with her after all?

Well, there was the Claude guy...but the former narcissist had far more conviction than giving up someone he'd just found out as precious.

There would always be a way even if what he knew would happen was inevitable. He would never give up just as Mai hadn't for years.

He would save her like he'd never done with Gene before.

Naru turned the knob and swung the door open, and everyone's bated breath was withdrawn with perplexity.

Nothing was behind the glass door but a menacing brick wall.

Naru clenched his fists and jaw with rare inexplicable restrained fury. The culprit was taunting them indeed.

"Boss, what should we...?" Yasuhara was aporetic that they could make it to Mai.

"Naru-bou, the window!" Takigawa shouted, and everyone gazed at where the monk was pointing.

A wide glass window, which was way above the illusive door, was opened outward...and a breeze was streaming in.

"There's the ladder, Shibuya-san!" John informed, and they were quietly allayed at the news.

They hurriedly arranged the ladder against the wall below the window, and Naru clambered up first. There were other windows opened outward to God-knows-where, but they picked the one near them without second thoughts. Soon, they found out that the sill of the glass window was on level with a brick-made floor, and the brick-made floor...consisted the bridge towards a filthy marble tower, nestled on a high and steep cylindrical stone island which was covered with moss on some parts. The tower appeared to be leaning on a wall, some sort of unknown connection to the castle.

The last hidden tower...

After everyone had climbed and straightened up, they trudged the long bridge with great urgency. The oblongish place was aglow by torches lined up on both sides of the bridge. Above them was the still starry and ebony early morning sky. Below the brick bridge and surrounding the stone island, a murky dark moat was apparent. They could hear splashes of the dark water under them, and some could swear that they saw outlines of huge crocodiles and its eyes gleaming up at them on the corners where the torch lights' illumination didn't reach.

Somehow, they now knew how the missing people's bodies were disposed; those crocodiles wouldn't become so plump if not for regular feeding for many decades. Also, it was best that they came out of the window above the tricky door; if they came out from other windows, they would be an instant feast to the reptiles.

"You're here," a woman's melodious voice reverberated the walls, and their heads whipped to the voice in a nanosecond.

Before the door of the tower and behind the end of the bridge was an almost transparent figure of a young woman with long black hair and eyes. She wore a white kimono, and she appeared chalkier than normal. Even after death though, Fumenmoku Wakkako was a stunning gorgeous lady.

They halted and readied themselves for attack. But, the ghost only placed an index finger to her lips and mouthed inaudibly...

_Sleep._

And the SPR gang fainted unceremoniously on the bridge.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**2:47-3:09 am**

"Never...existed?"

The painting puzzle flashed across my mind. With the tulip garden as a background, Fumenmoku and Midoriko were in the same pink tiered and ruffled gown...Midoriko standing and smiling behind a sitting Fumenmoku while holding a small bird cage...and inside the cage perched a lone glowing firefly...

My eyes widened, and I gaped at 'Rika' in a mixture of confusion, fear, disbelief, and bewilderment.

Rika...or...whatever-monster...broadened its grin. "Yeeeeees, they never existed. Everything about them was _**fabricated**_."

I shook my head (somehow I was able to move minimally). "No...No! That's not po━!"

"Not possible?" the I-don't-know-what-anymore interjected then cackled cacophonously. "Nothing is impossible for meee~"

Horror struck my mind.

The anamnesis of Rika's smiles, her laughs as we played on the garden, and her scared eyes as she told me that a doll was staring at her below the table in the dining room...I could not accept the fakery...the illusion.

"No..." Rika-chan was real! _She lives! Midoriko too!_

I couldn't take it. I couldn't absorb it. I couldn't believe that the sweet little girl I'd been protecting...never existed after all.

"I told you, didn't I? She wanted a shadow," whatchamacallit jeered. "She wished that she would have a sibling so that the one who would suffer from her father's abuse wouldn't be her. That suicidal Kirio boy was burdened too by the pressure his parents had subjected him into, so he wanted an escape. He wished he would have a sibling to share his suffering with. Humans create such wicked plans, don't you think?"

Kirio-kun...was suicidal? He...wanted to share his suffering with someone...?

The manipulation...the trickery...Everything was breaking my heart.

"You're horrible!" I yelled in emotional agony.

She just shrugged.

"Well, humans grow easily attached even to a fake reality and even believe that illusion to be real. Fumenmoku even felt pity for her fake sister's 'heartbreak.' That Kirio boy defended his sister from 'unreasonable accusations.' How stupid you humans are when bent by your emotions. In example, how could someone win for a fake sister's sake just because of one guy? You're all so obsessed with self-sacrifice, but the truth is that you only want to look like saints. You only want to be marked superior above all."

"That's not true..!" I countered. "How can you play with our feelings?"

"Feelings? I could never comprehend such things, but I figured how easily moved you are with such. They're a very good excuse for various things to all of you, right?" The monster leered. " 'I killed someone because I was angry,' or 'I killed someone just for fun.' What's the difference? You say that your feelings are the cause of your actions every time, yet in truth, you all are merely abiding your killer instincts."

"You...!" I trailed off. I couldn't say anything. I didn't know what else to say.

I didn't know what to believe anymore. Why...? Why...must someone's life be ruined? Why...must freedom...be toyed ruthlessly by someone...or something like this?

Fumenmoku and Kirio-kun only wanted to be free...to be relieved...but why...why must everything...become like this?

"I got them," a loud familiar voice spoke, and stumped, I saw Fumenmoku's ghost slipped through the heavy-looking door (made of oak planks) of the tower. She was wearing a long ivory robe I usually see on dead people in funerals.

Rika or the demon just nodded and motioned to the pyramid of dolls with her small thin arms...

"Go get them," she commanded.

And the finished dolls moved.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"No! What are you━?" I was greatly disturbed as some of the dolls broke their mountain-like formation and darted out of the cage and the door; their eyes were now glistening and wide open with glassy determination. "Where are you moving them to━?"

Rika grinned diabolically. "To your friends."

The tower's door shut heavily with finality, eerieness, and wickedness I could never imagine it could produce.

I gawked at her and exclaimed, "No! Stop them! Why are you doing this? Stop it, you demon!"

I'd never felt hopeless and helpless all my life as I cursed the terrifying being with all my lungs but still felt such wordy efforts in vain.

I turned to Fumenmoku pleadingly. "Fumenmoku-san! Why are you helping this━this demon? It's the one who destroyed your life! It's the one who━!"

Fumenmoku-san raised an eyebrow. "Nilne didn't destroy my life. She saved me."

_Nilne? The demon?_

I was deeply bemused. "What are you saying? She was the one who tried to kill you! She might even be the one who really killed you! She poisoned you!"

Fumenmoku's face darkened, and she ogled at me severely.

How could someone so kind become so cruel?

"No," she thundered, and I could feel despair, hate, and venom in her voice. "Nilne didn't kill me."

"Why can't you un━?"

"Nilne didn't kill me!" she bellowed.

The door of the tower slammed open and in came the dolls with Bou-san, Ayako, Masako, Lin-san, Naru, Yasuhara, and John in tow. They were all unconscious.

The dolls dropped them outside of the cage as though littering the floor with trash.

"No!" I wailed, but I still couldn't get out of my immobilization.

Fumenmoku sneered and Rika beamed.

"Let's play a game, shall we?" Fumenmoku suggested viciously.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

_Wake up_, Fumenmoku's voice resonated my mind, and I gasped as Naru and the rest had started to rouse.

_She woke them up? Wait...I know this ability...the one in my parents' thesis...*Telepathic suggestion!_

The dolls had lined up against the walls of the circular room and mounted the shoulders of one another again. However, all their eyes weren't closed, and they were all following the waking SPR gang with their fish eyes.

"M-Mai...?" Masako blinked at me, trapped in the large bird cage. Expanding her eyes, she squawked, "Mai!"

The rest who were barely conscious had their senses alerted immediately, and they stood and began to forge towards me.

But they were petrified on the spot.

"What's happening? I can't move!" Ayako exclaimed.

Lin-san tried to whistle to his shikis, but it seemed like they didn't listen to him.

"Rika-chan! What are you doing━?" John inquired in astonishment, and Rika just beamed like a Cheshire cat.

"Why's the little girl here?" Bou-san was puzzled. "Don't tell me she's the━?"

"Her eyes! It's different! She's possessed?" Ayako observed.

"Mai, are you alright?" Naru queried contrarily, and I was gladly able to jounce my head.

"I am! But Claude! Claude won't wake up!" I said. "And Rika's the main culprit! She━Rika and Midoriko never existed!"

"Mai, what do you mean━?" Yasuhara asked, but I couldn't elaborate. I couldn't explain...because I couldn't believe the words that came out from my mouth too.

Truthfully, I wanted to say something different. I wanted to say that I would find a way to escape. But...I was diffident. We were all somewhat lapidified now. We couldn't move, and if that went on...

We would all die.

Bou-san was tardily stunned. "Rika and Midoriko━?"

"Enough of the lovely reunion remarks," Fumenmoku intercepted, scowled, and smiled. "Let's play the game, shall we?"

"W-what are you━?" I stammered. _What is she up to?_

"Are you familiar with 'Kagome Kagome'?"

I gaped at her in fear. "No!"

"Yes, you are." Fumenmoku fleered and paced outside the cage. "We'll change the rules though. You will spin around with your eyes closed and your finger pointing forward, andddd whoever you will point your finger to at the end of the song...will be the one you will kill first~~"

"NO! STOP I━!"

My right arm moved upwards, and my index finger pointed towards Ayako.

"N-NO! DON'T━!"

My eyes were shut tight without my volition, and Fumenmoku began to sing.

"Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage~~" her voice rang out evilly. "When, when will you come out? In the dark early morning, the crocodile slipped. Whooo stands before you now~~?"

She had altered some of the lines, but it unnerved me no less because I knew...what the meaning of the game was.

I couldn't feel anything, so I didn't feel my body move. As the last words of Fumenmoku's song finally stopped reflecting on the walls, my eyes were slowly opened involuntarily, and I succussed my head with a tormented gasp. "NO!"

Naru eyed me without faltering; he must have known what would happen already. He was acting composed and calm as best as he could. But I couldn't do the same.

Not when my finger was pointing dangerously at him.

"NO!" I cried. "NO, DON'T━!"

"Why not? You hate him, right? He rejected you MAAANNNY times," Fumenmoku drawled.

"No...Don't...!" I joggled my head again. "No! I don't hate him! I WILL NEVER HATE HIM!"

There was a long growl of anger.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**3:10-3:43 am**

**REVIEW**

"Why? Why won't you hate him?" the spirit shouted at me, "KILL HIM!"

I tasted my tears. Tears had probably streamed my face as I met those ever deep blue eyes━those calm eyes I'd always admired and gazed at. Those eyes that could see my soul…

_How can I hate him?_

No matter how I tried to erase my feelings for him…No matter how I tried to reassure myself that nothing would work out between us…that he's better off with Masako than me…that I'd never really have a chance to be the girl he'd be the one to love…I could not seem to…

I just couldn't hate him…I just couldn't kill him when I love him so much…

"I-I c-c-can't!" I quivered.

My whole body was shaking terribly. I was overcome with deep sadness, but at the same time, fear enveloped my heart.

"KILL HIM!"

"I can't! I don't want to!" I exclaimed desperately, but my hands flew from my sides and involuntarily grasped a dagger that was thrust to me in midair.

I gasped as my body walked out of the cage and towards Naru.

"N-no! Please stop!" I sobbed and tried thrashing sideways as my body moved without my volition. "P-please…Naru…stay away…!"

Immobilized, Naru ogled at me, but his eyes showed hesitation and tension.

_This isn't a time for reasoning!_

My body halted moving, and the ghost was frustrated.

"WHY WON'T YOU KILL HIM?" the ghost shrieked, infuriated.

_Moreover…why must I kill him?_

"B-because I love him!" I responded, half-sobbing and shouting.

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LOVE!" the ghost yelled, and I yelped as I was hauled with the dagger pointed towards Naru.

But, before it could hit him, I stabbed myself.

**END OF REVIEW**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"WHY?" Fumenmoku screeched as her control on the SPR gang vanished, and the latter sprinted to Mai's injured body.

"HOW CAN YOU KILL YOURSELF FOR HIM?" Fumenmoku screamed. "THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LOVE!"

The dolls lunged to the SPR pack, and Takigawa, Ayako, Lin, John, and Masako countered the attack with their different chants as Naru and Yasuhara attended to the fainting Mai.

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LOVE, YOU FOOLS!" Fumenmoku roared hysterically, "BECAUSE IF THERE IS, KOU WOULDN'T KILL ME AND OUR BABY!"

* * *

**XDXDXD~nya~**

**ANOTHER REVIEW**

I collapsed and jolted and found myself gazing at blurred faces. They were talking…but I could not hear them…They looked rattled, anxious. But, they were freed from restraint...perhaps temporarily...but too late...too late...

I felt as if my consciousness was but a thin line of thread that would be cut off soon…for eternity. The feeling of detachment slowly grew…brusquely and slowly at the same time.

_This is the nth time already…these near-death experiences…will they end and make way for the bridge that I shall cross…?_

It wasn't the first time that things which I hadn't done while living rammed my thoughts. Back at middle school, when my mother died, I would have still hold unto my death wishes.

But, that was back then. Now…I realized that I had grown so attached with this tangible world…this world that made me so vulnerable but at the same time…happy.

I could taste the tears probably falling down my face as I remembered how many people I would miss…It would've been okay before…to die since it's just me after all…Nobody would cry for me…Because those who would have had, had gone ahead of me.

Yet, now, as I met a lot of people and our lives overlapped…I noticed how hard it had become.

_It hurts…_

_Kami-sama…I've taken a lot of chances and still I ask for more…Am I not so selfish…?...I'm sorry…if only…this temporary assignment will become permanent residence…_

_I want to live…I want to live and be with Obaa-san who took me in…I want to see Bou-san and Ayako bicker again then soon… finally confess their true feelings to each other…I want to see and hear John…his soothing voice…and genuine smile…How I want to see Yasuhara fool around again…and…Lin_-_san…even if he ignores me usually…How I longed to have a normal conversation with him…That Masako also…she might have treated me badly, but…I understand her feelings, and I want her to know…I don't hate her…_

_Naru…why…why is it so hard…to die…? Why…does my heart tell me not to let go of this world…? …To let go of you…? I want to be with you…by your side…forever…_

_Why must I…love you so much? Why…as moments pass…I feel it's hard to let go…the depth of pain inevitable…?_

_I don't want to die…Can I not have more chances in life…?_

Yet…I could feel the edge…the brink that I must topple over…My consciousness was slipping away like quicksand in an hourglass…

_If only…_

_**If only I didn't have to die...**_

**END OF REVIEW**

* * *

**XDXDXD~nya~**

My mother once said that fate and destiny are two different things. Fate and destiny, she told me, appeared similar because of their similar allusion to the inner workings of the railway. However, she debated with herself; fate and destiny were never the same thing. Fate, she explicated, was the numerous stops a train makes. On the other hand, destiny was the end of the railway line━the destination everyone who had lived would naturally go to...the last stop everyone would have to drop out of.

My mother rationalized that the reason that made people confuse fate and destiny as synonymous to each other was that they are both limited by the fixed possibilities and endpoint of the railway. A train could not transcend from the railway, but it could only wait and follow where the railway takes it.

To be honest, I couldn't really understand my mother's explanation back in middle school. It was too complex for me. Analogy or whatever you call it was always something I have a hard time learning.

But, as I lay there on the stone floor, I finally comprehended what my mother said; fate composed the decisions and actions you inevitably do and the events, either caused by your own will or caused by inevitability or nature. Everything that consisted what we call fate would lead to our one and only destiny: death. These two, fate and destiny, were things we could not escape. Once done, they're done. There would be no point of return.

Actually, I had never believed in fate completely. Although, there might have been some point I did. But, I couldn't really remember. I usually just rode along with Michiru and Keiko every time they spoke about cheesy things like soul mates or red strings that bound two people together.

I mean, even if two people could connect their railways, their fates would merely overlap; they're still trapped...marginalized from the outside of the railways...couldn't expand...

_So, if everything was written, planned out, and decided in advance, are we not controlled humans?_

_Is everything we think for ourselves already hardwired in our brains so that all our discernment and misconceptions are made appropriate?_

Then...wouldn't that just make us dolls...mere puppets in this world?

_In the end, are we the dollmakers, or are we dolls made to pretend as dollmakers so that we can be deceived by the real dollmaker?_

Wouldn't that prove that our reality is fake after all?

That every action, every will was pre-programmed, made instinctive so that everything we do, think, and say would seem natural and unforced?

I didn't want to believe in that. I didn't want to believe in the dualism that everyone deserves to die as they deserve to live. I didn't want to follow the fate's course already mapped out for me. I didn't want to arrive at my destiny either.

Nobody deserved to die; everybody's irreplaceable.

But, why must we die?

Why...couldn't pretense become real?

Why...could we never be true dollmakers?

Why must we be mere dolls?

Why...?

Was there no way to go against 'fate' and 'destiny'?

...

...

...

No...

No...

_I'm not a doll!_

_I'm human, and I will go against fate and destiny until the end!_

Because...wasn't that what being human means? Wasn't that what our freedom is for?

I was always selfish, but so were other people. No one had ever been completely contented, so why not fight against the limitations of the railway?

_Why not drop out of the destination of our fate and board other trains until one is satisfied with a railway their train is embarking?_

_I am not a doll, so I would never be a doll!_

There was a flash of blinding light, and it was as though I came back to earth. The volume of my surroundings rushed back; my vision cleared, and my consciousness returned. Wanly, I sat up and took the dagger out of my body. A reflexive gasp and moan came out from my mouth, and my white lacy raiment was drenched with my body's natural rouge.

That's right...I still couldn't feel anything.

I'd never been very grateful to have lost my sense of touch at that moment; my body had remained numb. _I can move. I'm not hurt._

I couldn't feel pain, and that was the information I needed to convince my body to not act limp and feeble.

"Mai! Lie down! You're bleeding!" I heard Naru's order. He was bending his knees beside me. I didn't even notice him holding my hand.

I couldn't feel anything...

_But, I'm alive._

_I'm still alive, so I will fight until my body can't take it anymore._

I noticed that Naru's left hand was glowing. The light...He used his PK!

I saw a hole on the cage and Rika's head...only Rika's head in the distance...and her neck was slowly...regenerating the rest of her body?

I couldn't feel the heaviness, but it was as though moving my bloodied hands looked laborious. But, I succeeded; I clutched Naru's left arm.

"Th-that's enough..." Talking seemed difficult.

"Mai━" Naru tried to pull his hand away, but I fastened my hands on his securely.

I could hear Lin-san, Ayako, John, and Masako's exorcism cries. On the contrary, with the help of Bou-san's mantras, Yasuhara was kicking and punching the dolls to get to where Claude lay. Those things were probably attacking them once they'd mobilized after I'd broken Fumenmoku's control.

Rika...or the demon was still regenerating the rest of its body...Fumenmoku was wildly vociferating as she commanded the dolls to attack.

I continued grasping Naru's hand to stall him from releasing another stream of PK energy. It might have been small on the first one, but another one would endanger him. He was becoming pallid, but he was fighting the limitations of his body too.

_You...didn't have to go this far..._

"Mai, let go," he insisted.

I shook my head, and even moving it seemed to be tedious and slow. "No! Don't die...for some demon! It's what it wants, Naru! Don't give it the satisfaction!"

"Mai━-"

"Trust me! I have a plan!" I gripped his wrist tighter, but I couldn't tell if it was tight enough, though.

He narrowed his eyes. "Mai, don't be abs━-"

"Believe in me!"

I had a plan...I'd realized it when I re-read my parents' theses. When I couldn't get a hold on phosphorous candles...

_What I'm capable of..._

_My last resort._

Even if I might die in the end, I'd lived a fulfilling life. Naru...said he loves me. Obaa-san, Claude, Ayako, Bou-san, John, Yasuhara, Lin-san, Masako...They all cared about me. I had nothing to regret about, now that I think deeply about it.

"Mai, let go o━" Naru persuaded.

I just shook my head again before zoning his voice out. Then, I sealed my eyes and pondered quickly.

_What was it again? From my parents' theses?_

I delved in the recesses of my mind and reached for a stored data like grabbing a card in a library catalog. The words of my parents resonated in my mind in milliseconds.

_There are symptoms for this ability:_

_(1) Things become liquefied when they held them..._

_That's right...When I touched Naru's teacup...it melted before it slipped from my hands and was broken a day or so before...That's why he threw the shattered piece...He'd felt the residual heat._

_(2) Sparks come out of their bodies..._

_Right...when I kissed Claude, there was a brief flicker after..._

_(3) Their bodies become very hot, inducing nausea, fatigue, and vomiting, but not because of ill health..._

_Naru and Claude had felt it...and I burnt them..._

I was very self-aware of my abilities then, and for once, I became very confident of my powers.

_How can I utilize it? How can I bring it out?_

"_It's all in the state of mind," Gene had said._

I smiled. _That's right. I can do this!_

_Now...how do you ignite something?_ I cogitated.

_What's something that ignites?_

An orb that's trailing and falling down the night sky flitted in my mind.

_Meteor showers!_

_What did Naru say about meteor showers again?_

I was brought back once more on that spot under the sakura tree in Obaa-san's garden, and I remembered staring at Naru eagerly.

_"I wonder…how meteor showers happen…" I beamed at him._

_"...The dusty debris of a comet comes into contact with the particles and gases on Earth's atmosphere and creates a friction; thereby, causing them to heat up and glow..." Naru had said while smirking._

_Debris..._I thought to myself. I had researched what Naru had told me before about meteor showers. Because of Naru, the sight of them was sentimental to me, so I learned more about them and more so when I hung out with Claude in his planetarium.

_Now...where was I? There are dolls...and the air...What's in the air that can be used for friction?_

The tower was old, so...

_That's it!_

It was a ridiculous idea, but it was what I got right then. So, I didn't hesitate letting my imagination run wild. Immediately, I visualized dust particles swimming about inside the tower. I imagined every dust particle (which would probably be millions in the tower) in the air as numerous dots━the minute substitute splinters━roughly cutting, hitting, colliding, and creating tiny sparks around the aggressive moving dolls. It was like dozens of erubescent fireworks surrounded the dolls, Rika, and Fumenmoku from head to toe.

And when they motioned and hit all the beleaguering tiny sparks...

I opened my eyes once more...

...And flames engulfed my surroundings.

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

"_**Knowing others is wisdom; knowing yourself is enlightenment."**_

_**~Lao Tzu~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**A/N: Buddha=the enlightened one**

***Telepathic suggestion=**simply, mind control

**Kagome Kagome=** is a game wherein one sits inside a circle and is labeled the "oni" (demon/troll). He or she will be blindfolded, and the others will travel around him or her while they sing a song. The game will end up with the oni guessing who is behind him or her, and if he or she guesses right, the person behind will become the oni.

**Will Mai die? Mhmmm...Next is the **last chapter**...entitled "Sayonara." Sayonara is a word that means goodbye but with more finality than just an end-of-the-day greeting (like Ja ne or Mata ne). It's something of a long term.**

**Should I make a sequel? Is there anyone who will read it? Are there still people who are curious as to how I would make Mai and Naru be together with such conflicts?**

**You may share your thoughts...**


	17. Sayonara

CNA=certified nursing assistant

EEG=electroencephalogram, which is used to measure and record brain waves

Tatami mat=a flooring board usually made of rice straw

Shoji=made of paper over a wooden frame

ICU=Intensive care Unit

* * *

**A/N: Read until the end...or you'll regret it! Seriously =.= **

* * *

**Review**

It was a ridiculous idea, but it was what I got right then. So, I didn't hesitate letting my imagination run wild. Immediately, I visualized dust particles swimming about inside the tower. I imagined every dust particle (which would probably be millions in the tower) in the air as numerous dots━the minute substitute splinters━roughly cutting, hitting, colliding, and inducing tiny sparks around the aggressive moving dolls. It was like dozens of erubescent fireworks surrounded the dolls, Rika, and Fumenmoku from head to toe.

And when they motioned and hit all the beleaguering tiny sparks...

I opened my eyes once more...

...And flames engulfed my surroundings.

**End of Review**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"_**However different our human lives may be, they all, without exception, start with birth and end with death."**_

_**~Roger Troisfontaines, S.J.~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**DAY 6; 3:48-5:29 am**

It was like perdition; fire swallowed the dolls, Fumenmoku, and Rika. Terrified screams incessantly rebounded the yellow walls of the tower.

The SPR gang was suspended in disbelief. The flames had come out of nowhere, and it brought them into a stockstill.

What was happening? How did this happen? Unanswered queries bounced back and forth within their minds.

"Mai!" Naru exclaimed, and the rest whipped their heads to the two.

In her bloodied white lace dress, Mai was sprawled on the floor with her eyes wide open. She was unmoving, but she was alive...

Was she?

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS?**

"Ahhh, how could you~~?"

Kou Mochiyuma spun around and broadened his eyes. "You...You can't be━"

Midoriko smiled wickedly. "Yeees, your attempt failed~ Aww, how could you kill the girl you love like that? She was carrying your child too~"

"W-what...?" Kou was confounded as he glanced back at the cadaver in the large cage...and saw not a monster...but the placid face of the one he loves.

An invisible mighty force pounded on his chest, and he drew out an astonished breath; it was as though somebody hit and run him over as the cognizance smashed his skull. "W-what are you saying? It was Moku...I killed? I-I killed her and our b-baby?"

Kou doubled over and barfed. "N-no━!*cough* Urgh!"

Blood splattered on the floor, and he stared at the hands he'd used to wipe his mouth. Tears traveled down his red cheeks, and he trembled madly. "W-wha━This can't be...! I-It wasn't her I wanted dead! It was━"

"ME~" Midoriko whispered behind him, and he scrambled up and away from her.

"Y-you! You demon!" he spat in unbridled fury, and his nerve popped and jaw clenched as he gritted, "I'll kill you!"

He searched the place wildly, but there wasn't any good weapon anywhere. He coughed out blood again, and the floor was dyed with red.

"Ah-ah, no fun at all~ Why are you humans so easy to toy with? Don't you even have some dignity?" Midoriko frowned. "Seems like you don't have much time left too...Kou-kun~~"

"YOU!" Kou bellowed, but his coughs worsened.

Coughing nonstop, he hunched on the floor in mingled pain: pain for the death of his loved one by his own ignorant hands and pain for the disease that was corroding his life.

"Mo━*cough*━ku! I━*cough*━didn't━*cough*━mean to━!" He crept on the cold stone floor towards the large cage. His throat was burning with the taste of blood and bile. His tears were brimming his gray eyes, and he convulsed at the agony of his lover's destruction by himself.

_It wasn't you I wanted dead...! It wasn't you...! Forgive me...! Forgive me...! I didn't mean to kill you and our child━I━  
_

He grasped a grille and wedged in his other arm inside the cage. Even in the end, he wanted to be with her...to hold her hand...to embrace her...

Even in the end, he wanted to be with her forever...

Because although death was like a punishment...if he would die beside her...

Death would become his greatest reward.

"Moku..." Kou breathed lovingly, tormentedly, and blissfully in remembrance. _I love you..._

**END OF MAI'S DREAM?**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

The dolls, Fumenmoku, and Rika were ablaze, and tension left me. I could not feel my muscles relax, but inner tranquility pervaded my whole being.

It felt so good...

So warm...

Wait...

_It's not yet the end, right?_

That's right...

I roused and saw darkness. A large white bird cage stood before me. It looked like a skeleton in the dark; it was so eerily white. Sitting inside the cage was Fumenmoku, crying forlornly. Smaller bird cages hung inside the large cage, and inside each of them was a firefly; their glowing ends were getting dimmer as if...

_I...need to purify them...lift the heavy souls to light..._

_I had done this before. I could do it again._

I unhesitantly neared the cage and spoke, "Fumenmoku-san..."

She halted crying and looked up at me in wonder. She was hurting. Although she'd killed a lot of people for her one desire...although there was satisfaction in the process of making her wish come true...she was hurting.

She was still hurting.

"It's alright...That's enough..." I could hear my voice clearly. It was as though it was a salve for burns; it was soothing and assuring for the first time.

"But..." Fumenmoku sniffed. "My baby...deserves to live!"

I nodded gently. "Yes...but...so as everyone."

She stared at me and joggled her head. "It's not fair. It's not fair...!"

"Yes..." I uttered dismally. "Death has never been fair."

_It snatches everyone important to you...It mocks you all your life._

"Then, why...?" She looked confused; her face wrinkled.

"Death is a punishment," I mused. "But...it doesn't have to feel like that all the time."

Gene...Gene never condemned the person who killed him...He'd never...cursed the god of death for killing him at an early age...He'd never said that death is his punishment. Naru too; he'd never said that people deserved to die because it is the supreme consequence to all our sins. Death was natural; that was what Naru implicated when I told him he could cry for Gene's demise...

"What...are you saying?" she queried, baffled.

"Death isn't painful; dying is," I concluded. "Is this what you really wanted? Your body is dead, but your soul still lives...Why are you killing it?"

"I wasn't━What are you━?"

"You are," I persisted. "You are killing your soul by becoming evil. If you kill your soul, what about your baby? It won't have a mother's soul to be born into!"

She expanded her eyes at me.

I didn't know what I was saying myself. I couldn't help thinking that I was spewing nonsense. What lies was I pointing out? What truth did I reveal?

I was never an expert about death or the afterlife, so why was I telling Fumenmoku all those things?

"My...soul?" she quoth hoarsely in perplexity.

"Yes. You are killing your soul." I ogled dolefully at the smaller bird cages above her. "So as the others. You really wanted to be free, but...you're trapping yourselves."

"All of you wanted to have a better life, a happier life," I carried on. "You want to live again. You want your baby to live."

"But my baby died! Kou killed us!" Fumenmoku wailed.

"I...It was unfair. It was horrible, but...is that why you are killing others too? Because someone killed you?"

She nictated and became reluctant. "I-I..."

"Killing others will also kill you," I murmured. "Please stop killing yourself. If you kill your soul, how can Kami-sama revive all of you?"

"Nilne said...she said..." Fumenmoku raked her hands through her hair in bewilderment. "I followed what she said! She said she could improve our next life! That we can━!"

I shook my head. "She wanted you to suffer. She enjoys watching all of you killing your soul...your humanity for the sake of one desire. She wasn't saving you. She was leading all of you to destruction."

"No...!" She succussed her head.

"This is the truth. But, that's enough; stop killing yourself, Fumenmoku-san."

"But my baby! My baby is━"

"Your baby will live as long as your soul lives," I reassured. "So, stop killing yourself. Stop killing yourself and your baby."

I didn't know what I was saying. They weren't facts brought about by studying or experience. They were things...I had spoken as though I completely understood the situation. They were things that popped out of my mouth as though I knew everything.

Why did I say the soul lives even if the body is dead?

Where was I basing such a thought?

How could I say that...Fumenmoku and the 4,442 people trapped in the huge coop...were killing their souls and that such crime would lead them to damnation?

Where?

From what belief did I acquire such thoughts?

_Ah..._

Ah...?

Wait...

_I_ _know why..._

_Because we're not dolls. _

_We're not empty. We have souls. Even without the body, our soul remains._

_That is my conviction. That is why we're not dolls._

I slipped my right arm inside the cage and ushered, "Fumenmoku-san, take my hand! You're not a doll! You don't have to follow anyone. You didn't have to pretend to be a doll to live one more time. Stop trapping yourself by yourself!"

Flummoxed, Fumenmoku goggled at me. "I'm not...a doll?"

"Yes, you're not!" I bobbed and beamed. "You're not empty. You are filled with love!"

I felt my cheeks burn. _Ah...so corny, Mai..._

"Love?" She gazed at me incredulously. "That doesn't exist!"

"It does," I insisted. "It exists in you because you are not a doll. Not just love, but other emotions too! Don't you remember how they felt like? They're unstable. They're not perfect, but...love made you alive, right?"

She blinked.

Finally, I understood how she felt...at least a part of what she felt...because I was hurt too...I felt betrayed too.

_Loving hurts, but if it doesn't, can it still be called love?_

_Isn't love like a rose; it won't grow beautifully without its thorns?_

"Don't you remember, Fumenmoku-san?" I questioned. "Kou-san loves you! He loves you so much that he tried to kill Midoriko for you!"

Fumenmoku gazed at me as though some loosened screws were falling out of my head. "He tried to kill...Midoriko?"

It made sense━the last vision I'd had. Kou-san had realized everything...That's why he drew that painting...That's why he gave a poisonous drink to Fumenmoku...He'd thought she was Midoriko!

"Your shadow! The one who took everything from you! He thought he was killing the demon!" I persuaded. "He didn't mean to kill you! He meant to kill Midoriko, not you!"

Fumenmoku wasn't totally convinced, but she slowly nodded. "Y-yes...I...remember...Kou...Kou loved me..."

Her voice was softening; her posture was unwinding. It was as though she remembered something pleasant, and her hatred was diminishing...

"He still does," I affirmed as I recalled Kou-san's inner thoughts in my vision. "Forever."

"How...?" She gazed at me skeptically, but there was a glint of hope in her sable eyes.

She just wanted to be loved...to be told that she was loved...to be freed by such love.

She only wanted to cleave to the warmth given by Kou-san.

She only wanted to be happy.

Hadn't we all wished for that?

"He led me here to save you," I croaked; a lump was formed in my throat. It was as though my feelings overlapped with Fumenmoku's, and I could empathize...I could synchronize with what she felt.

_I wanted to be loved too...by Naru...I felt such longing too._

There was a gasp from Fumenmoku.

"Kou..." Tears dripped down her cheeks, and they sparkled. The mirror of resentment shattered, and the real Fumenmoku, the dollmaker and not the doll, emerged.

"Kou...! I want to be with him! I want to be with him and my baby! I want the three of us to be a family!" Fumenmoku cried and concealed her face with her hands.

"Then, take my hand," I offered gently, and I extended my arm further inside the cage; my shoulder was getting squished in between the narrow grilles, but it didn't matter.

She looked up with a sniffle.

"I...will be truly free? We will become a family?" she wondered as she cannily crawled towards me.

"Yes." I beamed once more.

Fumenmoku stretched her arms and clutched my right hand with both of hers. She closed her eyes and opened them and gradually smiled, and I reminisced the dream where I saw her taking a mug inside the cage. Her expression was that of relief...and ultimate happiness.

"You're warm," she commented and perked up at me with deep gratitude. "Thank you."

The effect was instantaneous. The small bird cages opened, and the fireflies flew away. The large bird cage vanished, and nothing stood between me and Fumenmoku anymore. Tears continuously flowed down her face, and she eyed me with true glee.

"Thank you," she spoke in an undertone; the hiemal iciness in her voice was gone...

She wasn't trapped in the cage she made by herself anymore.

"You're welcome," I wholeheartedly mouthed back.

And I was falling in the darkness.

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Mai!"

I had a sharp intake of breath, and I was back to earth. Naru hovered over me; his face was anxious, just like that one time wherein I inhaled formaldehyde.

"Naru...?"

Fire...it was everywhere.

_This...is my doing?_

The dolls had fallen, spiritless, on the ground, and Fumenmoku's ghost was nowhere in sight. Only Rika...

I drew my breath.

My eyes became glued to Rika or Nilne, the demon, and stayed. I could not hear the environment once more; I was isolated once more. I was...

It was as though my vision had zoomed in, and Nilne or Rika was staring at me. It was as though her eyes had enlarged and glided in front of me, and in her snake-like eyes...I saw myself...

Burning.

I screamed.

Pain. Pain everywhere. It was excruciating. It was maddening. My body was stinging. It was aflame. I writhed and curled on the floor.

"Mai! Mai!" The voices of the others were overpowered by my vociferations.

_It hurts! It hurts!_

"NOOOO! IT'S HOT! I'M BURNIIING!" I shrieked as I doubled over and shuddered violently while slapping my inflamed body with my hands, as though expecting to abrade the hurtful sensation.

It was as though acid was poured all over me. Everywhere I touched stung. I saw myself on fire on Nilne's eyes, but I wasn't on fire. Yet my body felt ignited. I could feel the pain from where I stabbed myself.

I could feel everything.

_You will lose,_ Nilne invaded my head, and I could sense her smiling inwardly. _You will lose what's precious._

_What are you...?_

I screeched as the torment heightened, and gravity weighed me down; subsequently, I collapsed on the floor with a loud thud...

Then my consciousness was no more.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Mai!" The former narcissist was at a loss. Mai had become conscious and then not again.

What was happening? Why was she shouting that she was burning when she wasn't? Scientifically or not, he found himself unable to explain.

The fire...He could only surmise that it was Mai's doing. It was a shock. But more than awed, he was uncharacteristically afraid. He was afraid of the toll it would cost her. He was afraid of losing her. He had never felt such trepidation all his life.

He looked at the fiend, burning in the distance. It regarded him with indifference. It didn't yell or showed resistance. It was so calm...

"Lin!" Naru called, but Lin had already noticed.

The Chinese man whistled a long piercing tune, and the hands of his shikis egressed from the ground and clasped Rika's regenerated yet fervent figure...

And the rogue was dragged beneath the Cimmerian earth.

It did not scream. It did not curse them with words. It left them so anticlimactically that they could not shake off the feeling that it meant to end that way━that it meant to imply that its 'no resistance' meant that it wasn't the end of their suffering.

It would strike again, someday, some time━perhaps to torment them...or other people like them in the future.

The terror left inside the nooks of their minds would probably never fade.

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

Consequently, the ignition didn't stop; it grew larger, fiercer, and hotter.

"Naru-bou, let's take the stairs!" Takigawa suggested, carrying Claude askew on his back. "This place will be a goner!"

Without replying, the young boss carefully scooped up Mai in his arms and followed the rest upwards the winding staircase, which was adjacent to the walls of the tower. Indeed, it was the best option at the moment.

They didn't know where it would take them, but they hoped that there would be a way out of there. Mai was still bleeding, and Claude was still unconscious. The smoke was making them cough; it dried up their throats and suffocated their lungs. The sweltering heat made them drench their clothes with sweat. The assent was drawing them out of breath to the point of torture.

They ran and ran and ran until at the topmost landing. Drowsiness and exhaustion ate their energy, but the sight of a rectangular hollow and a door gave back a little of their strength to form a smile or expressions of relief.

Without further ado, they pushed the door open...

And was extremely grateful that there was no menacing brick wall anymore.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

They got out of an armoire inside a Roman-style room. Soon enough, they bustled out of the chamber and descended staircases. Tenura-san, Kirio, and some servants frantically met them outside the base.

"Shibuya-san, what━?" the housekeeper started, but Naru curtailed him.

"Have you prepared the helicopter?" the former narcissist just asked bossily, and the jittery man nodded swiftly; actually, Naru had asked the housekeeper to ready the Kawabukis' private helicopter before he and the rest went up the seventh floor.

"Y-yes! It's in the back━"

"Lead us!" Naru ordered, and they rushed out with the housekeeper.

The events thereafter were a blur. Naru, Ayako, and Yasuhara rode the Kawabukis' helicopter towards Yamanashi Red Cross Hospital with the unconscious Mai and Claude. Upon arriving, Mai and Claude were lain on a gurney and hurled to the emergency room. Stat x-rays and numerous tests taken, documents answered and signed, numbers dialed on phones, and shouts of commands to the CNA and nurses to and fro the hallway: the three of them waited in uneasy silence. After physical examination and unknown diagnosis, Mai was brought to the operating room with a few nurses and an on-call surgeon while Claude was admitted in one of the rooms after being injected by a suspicious dose. He seemed fine...just unconscious, but Mai...

Before long, again, Naru, Ayako, and Yasuhara waited. They had not called the rest, who were left in the castle, as of yet. Their minds were too engrossed with the thought of Mai's surgery.

Were they too late? It took the hospital people so long to examine where she was stabbed; what if they couldn't save her?

They had wasted so much time! Why were they so slow on the uptake?

The three of them were restless although nobody spoke. Indeed, they were too quiet that their inner turmoil was becoming more turbulent.

What would happen? Were their efforts in vain? Would she die as Naru had foreseen? The wait was agonizing, unnerving. What else were they supposed to do?

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS?**

I was lying on a recliner again. Before me was the blue-green sea. I was sprawled on the same shore of the island in Gene's "heaven." Which means...

"Mai."

I swished my head from the wonderful summery view and smiled at my spirit guide.

"Hello," I greeted as though it was everyday that we met like that.

He sat on the side of another recliner and faced me with his ever-soft gaze. "Are you alright? Were you hurt?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine..."

I didn't want him to worry. I didn't want anyone to worry for me...

But that's what I always did, right?

Still, I wanted to spare Gene from bothering...because I'd caused enough trouble in the real world...

He sighed, and I tilted my head with a questioning look. He shrugged and then uttered, "You...used your power..."

It was like both a question and a statement. Honestly, he and Naru had the great ability to read through my lies.

It was my turn to shrug. "I...used what I discovered..."

Gene blinked. "You mean, you exhausted all your energy?"

I made him more worried than I'd expected. Ack.

"I don't know...I...I found out I can make up fire." I shunted my head purposively.

I could feel Gene's surprised stare on my face.

"You...have pyrokinesis?" He was astounded as I was.

Indeed, if not for the spur-of-the-moment thinking, I would not have been...

_Wait...am I not...dead?_

**END OF MAI'S DREAM?**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**7:25-7:30 am**

The surgery had ended after nearly 2 hours. By then, the three had ambushed the doctor before they wended to Mai's hospital room.

"She's alive..." Lin breathed on the other end of the phone line. The Chinese man sounded tired. He'd just informed Naru that they'd extinguished the fire in the tower with the help of other servants. The fire had not spread much in the castle, but the armoire they came out from was burnt. So far, everybody else was safe. However, Lin and the rest hadn't slept yet because they were having a discussion with everyone in the castle about the case and what to do with the crocodiles in the moat.

"Naru, this means...?"

"Something was changed," Naru responded, glancing at the glass of the door to Mai's room; his assistant lay unconscious on the white hospital bed with Ayako and Yasuhara sitting beside her. They were also talking to someone on Ayako's cellphone (probably the monk). "Mai...she changed something. Where she stabbed herself changed."

"You mean...?"

"She stabbed herself in the heart in my vision, but she didn't do what I saw ..."

"Another possibility...She...Your visions only showed one possibility...and she strayed from it...? That..."

"This shows that my visions aren't possible; they are probable," Naru concluded.

"Naru, if that's the case...what if...what's probable doesn't happen now but happens soon...by a different cause?" Lin mulled.

"That's━" He'd never thought beyond that, and it was the first time he wasn't foreseeing. The former narcissist was silent for a while.

"She acquired pyrokinesis, right?" Lin intercepted. "What if━?"

There was a cry from Mai's hospital room, and Naru wasn't able to properly end his phone call with Lin as he barged in instantaneously.

"What happened?" he queried vigilantly.

"Boss, Mai's━" Yasuhara sweat-dropped after pushing the emergency button.

"Naru, she was suddenly━!" Ayako got cut off as nurses and a doctor came in.

Subsequently, the three stood motionless as the storm they had thought had passed...returned once more.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS?**

Wasn't I stabbed?

I blanched. _Ah...maybe this is a mere...transition to where I'm supposed to go when I die...?_

"Mai! You're bleeding!" Gene shouted, and I gaped at him.

"Wha━?" I looked down, and indeed, I was wearing the same white lace dress which got drenched more and more with my blood, oozing out from the lower part of my stomach.

Pain shot through me, and I keeled over. "Agh!"

Gene bent down and held me up on the sandy floor; his face was filled with anxiety like Naru's from before. "Don't move! You're hurt!"

I wasn't sure on how to react on this replay in the spiritual world, but the only thing I could think about was that the seascape setting was all too appropriate.

No...More than appropriate, it was exact.

_It seems like Kami-sama loves the theatrics..._

"I'm fine...I'll be..."

Gene held my right hand, and I noticed his whole body began to emanate a bluish green light. He resembled a radiant creature, a saint engulfed by godly rays of light...

An angel without wings...

Through our connected hands, light coursed through my right arm and to my body, and I felt so cozy.

"W-what is this? W-what are you doing?" I stammered.

Gene was focusing his gaze on our intertwined hands. "I'm nullifying whatever side effects your usage of pyrokinesis will bring."

"T-that's...You also have...PK-LT ?"

Gene shook his head. "No. I'm just neutralizing your psychical imbalance."

"But Gene, it might harm you━"

Gene smiled slightly. "I'm already dead, so I have no physical limitations to worry about."

"P-please...don't say that..." I begged.

"It's the truth, Mai," he said neutrally. "Having only a soul left entails that I could use my powers without physical limitations and complications."

The light faded, and I observed how the blood has stopped from spreading all over my dress...

_So fast..._

Gene helped me sat up on the sandy shore. I felt lighter...The pain from my stomach poofed entirely.

"Thank you, Gene, but you..."

He just lifted a corner of his mouth.

"It's the last thing I could do for you, Mai."

I nictated at him.

"W-what do you mean?"

"It's my farewell gift," he divulged gingerly. "So, you must live, Mai."

**END OF MAI'S DREAM?**

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**7:35-8:14 am**

Mai was transferred again on a gurney, and she was examined for the second time.

"What's happening to her?" Ayako demanded to the nurse who was going to enter the ICU. "What will you do?"

"Se-severe epilepsy!" the nurse replied when Ayako suddenly grabbed her arm. "Her fit isn't stopping, and sedation didn't work. But we might try surgery!"

Ayako, Yasuhara, and Naru were speechless as the nurse disappeared inside the neurointensive ICU.

"Another...surgery?" Ayako muttered and slumped on a chair on the hallway. "No way...Her seizures won't stop? A brain surgery?"

"Ayako-san..." Yasuhara murmured but didn't say anything else.

Naru was quiet, but his jaw clenched. He felt indescribable utter contempt for the god of death, playing on Mai's life like that. Just when they had simmered down, everything was going downhill again.

He gritted his teeth and tried to compose himself. He was powerless...He was always unable to do something when someone significant was slipping away from him.

Why was it always like that? Why...when everything had abated...would problems arise again?

Why must Mai...undergo so much suffering?

The thought was making him queerly furious at the unseen god of death, but they would have to wait again...because that was the only thing they could do...That was the only thing _**he**_ could do.

After a few minutes, the door opened, and Mai, lying on a gurney, was taken out. She wasn't shaking violently allover anymore, and the nurse from before approached them with a slightly haggard face. Latterly, they all blanched at the sight of Mai's immobile body.

"S-she suddenly stopped convulsing..." the nurse panted, "EEG was normal again..."

Not one of them knew how to react.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**MAI DREAMS**

"F-fairwell gift?" I mumbled in puzzlement. "Why...?"

"I have somewhere to go, Mai. I...can't stay long." He diverted his gaze.

"W-where are you going?" It was as though I was thunderstruck. "Gene, where are you going?"

"Yomi-no-kuni."

"Yomi... The underworld? Why?" I gawked at him.

Gene reluctantly replied, "Something paved the way for me there."

"Something? What something? No!"

Gene still didn't look at me, and I suddenly knew.

"_You will lose something precious..." Nilne's words echoed to my soul and to my heart._

"Nilne paved the way for you? She━?" I gasped and gripped Gene's arms. "No! Don't go!"

He shook his head and smiled wistfully. "I...need to go, Mai. I'd stayed here for a very long time."

"No! Yomi is a gloomy place, Gene! Please don't━!"

He embraced me, and I halted yelling. Tears soon rained down my face.

_This is goodbye...? No! I can't accept it!_

"It will take your soul if I left the portal to the underworld open for long," he said in a hushed tone.

"Nooo..." I sniffed and sobbed. "I don't want this! I don't want you to go!"

He pulled apart and wiped my tear-streaked cheeks with a caring look. "I have to go."

_"Death isn't painful; dying is..." _How could I say such erroneous things? _Both dying and death are painful! They're both painful...to the ones who would be left behind!_

"No...! It wasn't even very long since we talked again...since I saw you again...! Don't go, Gene! Don't go!" I hugged him tighter.

He didn't complain but just hoarsely replied, "We'll meet again, Mai."

"No...! What if rebirth isn't true? What if there's no next life? What if I won't see you again?" I succussed my head and cried on his chest. I was contradicting myself once more...

How could I be so ignorant? How could I be so careless?

_Why? Why must Gene die again? Why must Gene...be taken out of my life?_

"There will always be a way for us to meet again, Mai." He was trying to be hopeful, but I couldn't. I couldn't encourage him.

I joggled my head. "No! Don't lie to me!"

"We'll meet again," Gene pressed on. "We'll meet again, and we'll bother the idiot scientist to no end."

"Gene..."

He patted my back. "We'll meet again, and I'll kiss you before the idiot scientist can."

My heartstrings were being knotted and tangled.

_Why...why is reality so cruel?_

I pulled apart and admonished with watery eyes, "Why are you saying that? What if there's no 'again'?"

Gene just lifted a corner of his mouth. "There will be. I'll make sure of it."

"How can you be so sure?" I moaned demandingly.

"I just am," he smirked, and my heart ached for the similarity of Naru's cockiness he'd exhibited.

"Gene, it will take a long time...!" I snuffled. "It might not even happen...!"

"About 200 years later probably." He nodded and patted my head. "Fortunately, I would be alive too."

"Gene...!" I bit my lip.

His expression shifted, and his eyes became glassy...

It was futile. Gene had decided. He'd decided to go...in my place.

_Why...must there be sacrifices?_

_Why, Kami-sama?_

_Why must I live while Gene dies?_

_For what purpose is death in the world?_

I knew I shouldn't make a sad face... I should let him go...with a happy countenance.

"Goodbye, Mai." Gene swiftly yet gently pulled away and stepped backwards. "Take care of the idiot and mad scientist for me."

That made me laugh a bit. Gene...had always left me with a serene...fluffy feeling. I would miss him. No, not just miss...I would long for the times we shared in my dreams...They might not be real...They might be fake...But the emotions...The emotions we'd shared...the thoughts and words we'd shared...they were sincere...They would live with me forever...

And I would awfully miss him. I would awfully lament for his absence in my dream world.

I would be forever distraught that he'd gone to the place where I should be.

Just then, the seascape disappeared and was replaced with a background of the outerspace; the stars, planets, and moons were so lucent that they were blinding me.

Without warning, a white hole appeared behind Gene, and I knew...that time was up.

_No!_

Shaking my head, I darted towards him, but no matter how I tried to move forward, it seemed like I was just running on a fixed spot; the distance between us was stretching forever, and I couldn't get near him again.

I couldn't...reach him again...and it broke my heart.

"Gene! Goodbye for now...right?" I yelled hopefully and stifled a sob and gasp.

Gene hesitated and then smiled; as always, his smile was always so radiant and beautiful.

"Yeah...for now...Mai."

I cried his name in agony, but he said nothing else.

An assurance...That was all I ever needed...just like Fumenmoku...just like what Claude said before.

_Everyone wants certainty...that's why we believe in something._

But that was bull. I didn't just want to believe.

I wanted it to be real in front of me. I didn't want to be left with just a word to have faith in. I wanted the word to be personified, be manifested!

But what else could I have when the reality I wanted could never be real?

_Gene...!_

He spun around voicelessly...expressionlessly, and his back faced me...for eternity.

_For now!_ I corrected and sincerely wished in my mind. _Just for now! Please! Come back, Gene!_

My arms outstretched, I shouted his name...

Then everything was white.

**END OF MAI'S DREAM**

* * *

**XDXDXDXD~nya~**

**2 DAYS LATER**

I could hear the annoying beeping of a machine.

I groaned and moaned.

_Stop...so noisy..._

Tears streamed down my face as my eyelids fluttered open...

I put a hand to my left cheek.

_Why am I crying? _

_There's something...? Someone...?_

An image of Naru beaming dispiritedly flitted my mind.

_Naru...smiling so...despairingly? That's an impossible one._

Maybe Gene would, but━

Wait.

_Gene?_

_Who's Gene?_

I rubbed and opened my eyes properly. My gaze wandered, and it was him I first saw. He was standing against the broad glass window with his arms crossed and his eyes looking sideways at somewhere far unto the rooftops of the buildings that are visible. The sky was dark outside, and streetlights and buildings' lights illuminated the place beyond. As if he sensed my scrutiny of him, he whirled his head towards me.

I felt at that instant that I couldn't be any happier. He didn't smile, but I felt so...pleasant.

"It seems strange," I, laughing a bit, told him. "I usually see you in a hospital bed. But now, it's the other way around."

He was taciturn as he ogled at me for a second before glimpsing again beyond the glass window and towards the vast sky outside. The stars were shining so bright, and again, tears streamed down my face.

_What's wrong with me...? Why am I crying...?_

_I'm...alive...I...survived from using my power...? How...?_

I shrugged. _You're alive, Mai. What's more important?_

Naru appeared so peaceful, but his eyes had this twitch. It was as if he was avoiding my gaze.

"Idiot," he said nonsensically━his thoughts, though, still incomprehensible. "You shouldn't have done that, Mai."

I could feel some uncertainty and confusion in his voice. He was struggling for words, and it's the first time I saw him like that.

_Ah…he never fails to amaze me…_I stared at my fingers as if fixated with them. I realized then that I had hurt his pride. I had saved him instead of him saving me.

_But…why must he be so angry…?_

I frowned as I sat up slowly, yet I scrunched my eyes as I felt a twinge from my lower abdomen. "Ah...Honestly, if I died, would that also be the first thing you'll say to me?"

"Who knows?" he retorted crossly.

"Idiot scientist," I started.

"Idiot Mai," he countered.

"Extremely idiotic and narcissistic boss," I scoffed.

"Blockhead-bonehead-cretin-dimwit-dumbbell-dunce-fool-ignoramus-kook-nincompoop-nitwit-pinhead-simpleton-stupid-twit Mai."

I swear it was like he was tongue-twisting.

"Whaa─!" I gawked and fired, "Are you challenging me?"

"In short: you're a great idiot," he chided and then sighed. "Why did you stab yourself?"

I blinked. _Oh, so this is an interrogation?_

"Because I thought it was fitting," I answered haughtily.

"So you wanted to die?" Naru queried and I fumed.

"I only did that because I can't kill you!" I defended. "I don't do suicides!"

"All the more the reason." He glared.

"I saved you, and you are angry?" I gritted my teeth. _I can't believe it!_

"That was not called saving," he reproached, shaking his head. "If you were saving someone, you should have saved yourself too, and not do otherwise."

"Well, you didn't even think twice in using your powers! You were reckless too!"

He loured. "That was different. I had confidence."

The distance of the hospital bed and the window was immense. He was far.

He would always be far from my reach.

"And I didn't?" I snorted. I knew that I was being obstinate. It was the truth; I didn't know how everything would work out. I was always trying out things even without certainty.

I was impulsive again.

But so was he.

"You were reckless, Mai," he said quietly.

"Then you should try having yourself controlled by somebody else, and see what happens!"

"Mai…you shouldn't have done that," he replied firmly, closing his eyes.

"Then, what was I supposed to do?" I demanded hotly. "Can't you see that I can't hate you enough to kill you?"

He opened his eyes and just stared at me unfavorably in quiescence. Undaunted, I glowered at him, and he suspired. He un-crossed his arms and approached me at the side of the ivory hospital bed.

"Don't do that again," was all he said, and there was an implied plead to it.

I peered at him closely and uttered glassily, "I cannot promise that."

_Because I couldn't let anyone get hurt for me. Because I couldn't lose anyone anymore._

_Because there might be a time wherein I must do that again.  
_

He didn't respond, but we gazed at each other as though trying to read each other's minds. However, recalling something, I shunted my head.

"Where's Claude? How is he doing? Is he alright?" I questioned, and Naru was somehow a little taken aback before frowning.

"Murakami-san got out of the hospital this morning," he informed. "He's alive."

He resembled someone sulking. His eyes were twitching again.

I put a hand to my heart in relief. "That's great..."

I could feel again. I could feel the beating of my heart on my chest. Naru noticed the gesture, and he asked, "Did it come back? Your sense of touch?"

"Yeah...It's Rika...the demon's doing..."

"She didn't exist," Naru pointed out. "Kirio Kawabuki was an only child."

Our conversation was diverted...for the better. There continued to be a certain awkwardness between us...and it didn't have anything to do with the case...or my "suicidal" attempt.

"Just like Midoriko-san..." I muttered.

"Everything was fabricated, distorted, and manipulated."

"Can they remember? The people in the castle?"

"Everyone can."

There was something...crushing my heart. What was it? There was something missing...something taken...someone gone...?

"Nobody else was hurt?" I persisted, and Naru just jounced his head.

"What was the name of the demon? Did it tell you?"

"Nilne...Why?"

"A summoning ritual was done there," Naru disclosed.

"How did you know?" I said quizzically.

"I had a vision when I touched the doll, which was left in the chapel. Lin said it's an Ainu ritual."

"Ainu?"

"An ethnic group. Fumenmoku Wakakko used to live with her grandmother in her mother's side before they inhabited the castle. Her grandmother was a direct descendant to an Ainu tribe, and we could only speculate that she taught the dollmaker some tribal rituals and spells to summon a demon and trap a soul into a doll."

"I see...Fumenmoku...She wanted to be free from her father's stringent training...She wanted to have a sibling to take her place...But she was still trapped...and that demon...that Nilne took advantage of her desire...! Kirio-kun's too! It took advantage of everyone's desires...!"

The tears ran freely now with a conscious cause. I grieved for the lives lost. I grieved for the lives sacrificed just for a certain demon's game. I grieved...for the atrocity of the world we lived in.

There was something missing...Something lacking that I couldn't point out...and I wept for something unknown that I had lost.

What was it? What's this void in my heart?

Naru seemed perturbed at what to do next, so he just stood there and let me cry. He didn't know how to comfort me, but his uneasiness every time I wept in front of him...showed that he cared about how he should react.

That he cared for my pain, but he didn't know how to give me solace.

But then...

"Mai," he interrupted with a commanding voice, and I forgot what I was supposed to say.

"Naru, wha─?" I was addled at the randomness.

"Do not give up on me," he said with a point-blank face.

Slowly registering, I blinked, goggled, and rubbernecked at him.

"W-what?" Dumbstruck, I stared at him. It was so sudden...and out-of-topic. "What are you─?"

And that's when he leaned over and kissed me.

...

...

...

On the lips.

It was chaste and short.

But it took my breath away.

"I owed you one," he reasoned and leered after pulling apart, drowning me with his cerulean eyes. "When you got away."

_The straight-faced jerk..._

Wait.

I owed him "one" when I got away?

The memory of me kissing him while he's asleep fleeted in my mind, and I could not stop the heat from creeping to my cheeks. And oh, how I could feel the erubescence of my cheeks! I didn't know if I should be thankful to the demon for reviving my tactility.

I was more than stunned; I was petrified in utter overwhelmingness.

WHAT.

WAS.

THAT?

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?

Wordlessly, he then exited the room without looking back at me.

Holy-cow-grazing-on-the-fields!

My jaw was digging its way underground like a restless mole.

_What just…happened?_

Unbeknownst to me, that was how the narcissist strangely comforted me━making me forget the cruelty of reality for a moment.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**NEXT DAY**

I didn't know how and when I dozed off, but when I roused the next day, it was Claude I first saw. He was sitting beside the bed.

"Claude!" I was so glad he's safe, and I embraced him.

He smiled brightly. He was healthy, very healthy. "I'd heard about it. You saved me even at the expense of your life. I doubt a simple 'Thank you' would be enough to express it."

"You...don't have to."

He flicked my forehead.

"Wha━!"

He frowned. "I'm touched, but don't do that again, Mai."

Just like the narcissist, he was scolding me.

I pouted. "Mohh...is this what I'll always get?"

"Your life is important too, so for us who think of you as important, please take care of yourself too." He sighed, and I bit my lip.

I always had a talent of making everyone worry about me.

"I'm sorry. I was impulsive again."

My eyes wandered, but it was expected; Naru was nowhere in sight. He was probably somewhere...busy with work. As always...How could I delude myself by believing I could become a priority in his life? How many times should I hope...be resilient? How many times should I make a fool out of myself?

I mentally kicked myself. Who was I thinking when I'm with my boyfriend? _Erase the thought, you cheating Mai!_

I joggled my head.

"What is it? Are you alright?" Claude inquired worriedly, and I waved my hands.

"N-no! I was just thinking...w-what...happened? In the castle, I mean."

It was a very good distraction from my straying thoughts.

"I only heard from Yasuhara-san, so..."

According to Yasu, after I fainted, Lin-san ordered his shikis to transport Rika or Nilne to Yomi-no-kuni, the underworld. She would be trapped there for eternity...never to disrupt human lives again. Afterwards, they got out of the tower and rushed Claude and me to the hospital. I had a surgery, and my appendix was removed...

I gawked at Claude. "Removed? Will I be━?"

"It's alright. The removal of appendix isn't harmful. Although it stores some helpful bacteria, removing it was the only way to save you."

I nodded feebly and told him to continue about the case. He then told me about who Rika really was.

"Nilne okkoko. That's the snake or demon in Ainu folklore. Snakes and demons were synonymous words for them. Most likely, she did an Ainu ritual taught by her grandmother when she was young, but she called the wrong entity. Snakes have always been said to have a deceptive nature in Ainu folklore, yet she must not have known that. Attacking her weakness, Nilne must have easily persuaded Fumenmoku-san."

"Rika...can you remember her...?" I asked slowly.

Claude blinked at me and smiled morosely. "Yeah..."

"She...didn't really exist...? Midoriko too...?" I was clarifying, double-checking my sanity.

"It's very perplexing for me too, but it was all an illusion. Everyone in the castle can remember also...and the memory of a fake existence will always haunt us wherever we go."

"Is Kirio-kun alright? I mean..."

Claude jounced his head. "He's coping well. He'll be alright. He's now staying back at the original Kawabuki household before he would transfer to an all-boys boarding school this fall. He finally attained the guts to overcome his parents' domination and even threatened them."

"That's a relief..." I soughed.

What was it...? I forgot something...but I couldn't remember what...

"Kou-san...He tried to kill Midoriko...Rika or the demon...but he was tricked. He didn't mean to kill Fumenmoku... And Fumenmoku...she wanted to be free...Nilne...granted her wish by becoming a twin sister. Nilne pretended to be human...She pretended to love Kou-san, the person Fumenmoku loves. She pretended to be jealous. She pretended...Nilne told me...she manipulated everything...My dreams...Midoriko's death and Fumenmoku's viscious thoughts...she probably made everything convoluted...just to confuse me...She was omnipotent...omniscient...She...was the scariest thing I'd ever encountered."

My hands shivered as I ran them through my hair. I could feel again...Nilne made me feel again. She made me feel what pain was like again, but it was the worst pain she'd given to me. I could almost hear her speak, _"Burn me, and you shall burn."_

_No! _I closed my eyes. _It's done! It's all over! Stop remembering! Stop thinking about it!_

My throat was hurting, and it was as though I inhaled charcoal...smoke...My breathing quickened, and Claude held my hand soothingly.

"I'm here. It won't harm you again...Do you want some water? Anything?" He was somehow panicking, but he was trying not to show it. His worry for me was heartfelt.

"W-water! Yes, please!" I requested, and he briskly got a cupful from a water dispenser near the window.

I chugged it all down and was assuaged by the feeling of my throat's immediate ease.

"Claude..."

"Hm? Do you want to drink another cupful?" he offered kindly.

I shook my head and avoided the topic of the demon from springing out of my mouth again. "Claude...what about your job?"

He hesitantly replied and scratched his head while flushing and averting his eyes. "Ah...well...I'm taking a leave for two and a half weeks, so..."

I nictated. _He...took a leave...?_

He didn't glance at me, but I could tell that he was embarrassed about something...

An idea struck through me.

_Ah...I see..._

There's something I must do...a decision I should make.

_I...needed a respite too...from everything. And only one person...could give me the tranquility I needed._

I stared at Claude wholeheartedly. Before me was the person who changed me within two months. Before me was the person who expanded my horizon and made me feel loved. Before me...was the person who prioritizes me before everything else.

Before me...was the lover Naru would never be.

"Claude..." I called tenderly, and he gave me an inquisitive look. "Let's go to Osaka."

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**6 DAYS LATER **

"You would like to take her somewhere for a week and a half?"

Rinna Kagami, Mai's foster grandmother, raised an eyebrow at the former narcissist before her.

They were in the tea ceremony room of Kagami-san's mansion. It was a 4-and-a-half tatami mat room with shoji walls on all sides. It lacked decorations that could usually be found in other rooms. The shoji doors towards the grassy garden outside were open, and the tapping of the bamboo rocking fountain could be heard prominently every now and then. Sitting across each other on the tatami mat, Kagami-san whisked the green tea in the tea bowl before handing it to the young boss.

"Yes." Naru inclined his head, received the tea bowl with his right hand, rotated it clockwise (3 times) on his left hand's palm, and sipped elegantly.

It was 3 days after Mai checked out of the hospital. No one knew how she survived severe epilepsy, but after many tests, the sign of any tissue in her brain that could be attributed to her condition that problematic day was nowhere to be found. The hospital staff had announced it as a miracle, but Naru and the rest of the SPR gang knew better━although, only Naru, Lin, and Madoka truly knew more about what happened.

Naru had ordered Yasuhara to ask Mai about Gene's role in it. But, it was as though she never met his dead older twin. She couldn't remember him...She didn't know who he was. Naru and the rest could only surmise that it had to do with her miraculous recovery...That the repression which caused her to forget Gene's existence...must have something to do with how she escaped from death.

Naru had told the others not to delve further about Mai's somewhat particular *psychogenic amnesia since then. On the other hand, because Naru wasn't able to visit her in the hospital after that one night, he'd decided to go directly to Kagami-san's mansion when everything about the Kawabuki case had been cleared, filed, and just etched to memory.

Finally, when he'd lodged his tea bowl down, Kagami-san stared at him before soughing. "You're very late, young man."

He nictated and was about to inquire what she meant when his phone rang inopportunely. Shrugging and excusing himself politely, he answered the call.

"What is it, Madoka?"

"Lin told me to call since he's busy with something~" Madoka responded cheerfully.

Naru loured. "If it's not important, you━"

"It's important! Well, it is_** for you**_, I think."

He frowned. "What is it then? I have something to do, so━"

"Mai came here."

His ears were very attentive then. "Why did she━?"

"She gave me her vacation leave letter, and I granted it."

"Why did you?" Naru asked icily. "I should be the one who━"

"She was with a blond boy (whom Lin pointed out as her boyfriend), and well...it seemed like even if you won't grant permission, they both had planned to go."

"Where were they going? Did she say anything?" He glared at nothing in discontent.

"Nope. Not at all...Ah!" He heard Madoka speak to someone on the other line before there was a shuffle, and Madoka was back. There was a mischievous chuckle. "Lin's shikis overheard something when they were going out. But...I'll only tell you if you agree to take another case for me~!"

Naru continuously narrowed his eyes and soughed. Madoka never halted with her tricks. "Fine. Just tell me where they're going."

Madoka tsk-ed. "Mohhh, still as ungrateful and impolite as always. Oh well, I sympathize for you anyway; Mai has quite a _**gentlemanly, caring, and loving boyfriend**_."

She was pushing his buttons as usual, but he didn't retort.

"Madoka,_** where**_?" he growled in a low voice, and Madoka laughed.

"Alright, alright! Lin's shikis heard them talking about boarding a train to Osaka through Tokaido Shinkansen in an hour from now. It seems like they'll be having a summer vacation together. Was that right, Lin?"

_Osaka...train?_

Naru excused himself to Kagami-san, and the old woman just nodded and dismissed him wordlessly.

"Ah, Naru, wait━!" He ended Madoka's call and chucked his phone in his pants' pocket before he ran out of the room and the mansion and to the driveway.

Yes. RAN.

It was very unlike him. He'd never sprinted to catch up to someone he knew would come back anyway, but that time, it was different.

He used to think that emotions were a nuisance. They could make one unstable and lose track of his or her judgment. So, he'd sought to be insouciant, uncaring, just to gain stability in the emotion-driven dog-eat-dog world.

But Mai...made the passive him...active, and he became cognizant that...caring for somebody else...wasn't troublesome at all.

So he'd decided to stop being indifferent, unmoving.

Because if he wouldn't do anything again...he could foresee that she might never come back anymore.

And it wouldn't be just the god of death he would be extremely furious with.

So, madman he would be, but he didn't care as he hopped in his black BMW and began racing down the road towards Tokaido Shinkansen despite how many speeding tickets he might acquire.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

"Ah-ah, he hung up." Madoka puffed. "And I was going to tell him what I said was wrong."

The ghost hunting mentor, garbed in a yellow ruffled blouse and pencil skirt, jumped off the desk and pored over the Chinese man's 'private' blog, yet the latter exited the window immediately.

"You did that on purpose, though," Lin mumbled and warily shut down his laptop, and Madoka pouted.

"No, I didn't! I just thought Mai would take the train. After all, she's quite a thrifty girl, but I guess that Miller boy has a lot of money, besides love, to spare?"

"Her grandmother might have helped." Lin shrugged and narrowed his eyes at the red-headed woman. "But Noll will catch up to her."

Madoka was intrigued. "Ara~And how can you be so sure?"

"That's just the way he is," he smirked and Madoka smiled furtively.

* * *

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

**15 MINS. TO GO**

I'd never been to Narita International Airport (nor any airport) before, but then, I'd never really had the opportunity (nor the money) to travel anywhere in the country by airplane. My mother and I would usually take the train or ride along with a friend of hers, and we'd never insofar went across islands.

We arrived quite early in the departure lobby at Terminal 2. Since we couldn't check-in yet, we settled on a row of tan seats. There was so much bustling on the dirty white polished floor. Noises of different people━laughing, crying, talking, whispering, clicking heels, stomping shoes, dragging of trunks and trolleys━pervaded the great expanse of the area.

The sky outside was a brilliant light blue. The tall and massive wall of glass made it easy for the sunlight to stream in from outdoors.

Somehow, I was still sweating despite the air conditioning and the breeziness of my pinkish lavender tank top and plum-colored denim shorts.

_There's too many people...and my throat's weird._

"I'll buy something to drink," I told Claude with a slight smile. "Watch my things for me?"

"Okay," he replied, returning my smile. "Can you buy me a drink too?"

He motioned to get his wallet, but I stalled him.

"It's on me." I winked. "Besides, you already spent so much for me."

Besides paying for my back-and-forth plane fare and procuring a place to stay in Osaka, Claude had done so much already. Naru never visited me again, but Claude wended to the hospital to visit me everyday until I checked out; he even slept there to accompany me. (Although, Ayako, Bou-san, Masako, Yasuhara, John, and even Lin and Madoka visited me from time to time when they had finished everything in the castle.)

_Buying him a drink is the least I could do..._

After getting excellent results from the innumerable tests given to me at the hospital, I was finally able to go home to Obaa-san's. I actually didn't know how I survived either, but there was some name Yasuhara mentioned which made me ponder.

_Gene..._

I'd kept on reciting the name in my head like a mantra over and over. I was hoping some memory would pop up...some clue to my survival. But, so far, I couldn't recall anything. I could feel a tug, though, in the fringes of my mind. It was as if I always found myself near the tip of the iceberg, but then, I'd roll back down again. I'd tried to ask the others, but they would just say that they didn't know much about the guy either...that it was only Naru who could tell me...the only person who'd never even cared to show up after stealing a kiss from me!

Argh! He really (embarrassed) annoyed me! How could he just make everything complicated? Grr!

I soughed.

Anyway, back to the topic, there was something familiar about the name Gene...but I couldn't pinpoint about what was...particularly...warm and soothing and...tearful that the name induces in me.

_Who is he? Is he someone close? Did he...save me from the harmful effects of my pyrokinesis?_

I couldn't remember anything after I blacked out. All I knew was that Fumenmoku and the people who died in that castle had been purified...before Rika made me feel burning...

I shivered oddly.

Anyway, moving on to the status quo, I searched the pockets of my shorts as I sauntered the lobby and discovered about 400 yen worth of coins.

_Enough for two cans of..._

I looked around for a vending machine**. **Spotting a dancing red Coca Cola vending robot, I skipped to it good-naturedly. It was doing a slight jumping jack and zombie walk, which made the passersby scoot away. Anyway, it looked quite lonely with people avoiding it. I tapped its arm, and the robot gladly stopped and let me slip in my money.

I tried not to look at the glass that reflected my face. Actually, I could not look at myself in mirrors or reflected surfaces anymore. When I did back in the hospital, I had frequent panic attacks. I had become afraid to look at myself...because I would see myself burning on Nilne's eyes once again, and I would feel the maddening twinge all over my body, as though it recalls perfectly and relives the pain every time I see myself...

Besides panic attacks and mirror avoidance, I had also become afraid of fire. Just seeing pictures with flames or the fiery kitchen stoves made me grow cold and shaking and screaming and numb and...frightened. Because of my phobia, Obaa-san made me undergo therapy and changed the mansion a little. Instead of a gas stove, she replaced them with an electric one. The paintings that depicted of demons in hellfire were also replaced with flowerbed ones.

Despite the changes and minimization of phobia triggers, though, Nilne continued to haunt me in my dreams. I would usually find myself awake and panting heavily with cold sweat. Additionally, I couldn't think of being able to feel again as a blessing.

...Because I knew she gave me back my sense of touch for me to suffer...to be reminded time and time again of the acidic pain she'd given me when we had that one last eye contact in the tower.

I shuddered and shook my head.

Erase, erase!

Indeed, panic attacks were the last thing I had in mind to experience in an airport where I should be thrilled. I was going to Osaka! The beach!

And so I let that mirthful information seep in and knock out the horrors of the Kawabuki case.

It seemed like I was idle long enough. When I was about to pick a can, the vending robot suddenly darted to the left.

"Wha━!"

I could have just left it alone. After all, I didn't have any energy or motivation to run after it, and it was partly my fault for dawdling around due to remembrance of the newly finished case. But then, I never wanted to waste my money even if I might tire myself...

So I chased it.

We must have been quite a sight. A lot of people turned our way as we dashed in circles. I could feel my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

_But then, every cent counts!_

I'd lived quite a yen-less life a lot of times, so I knew not to disregard spent money.

"Argh! Stop, you idiot robot!" I yelled, but the freaking machine never did what I pleaded.

It turned a corner, and I followed, causing me to bump into someone on my left. I yelped and fell on the floor.

"Oww..." I sat up slowly**, **saw some shoes before me, and apologetically bowed. "I'm so sorry; I was━"

"Mai?" a familiar voice panted, and I looked up in an instant.

My eyes widened. "N-Naru? How did you━Why are you━?"

He was flushed and out of breath...from running? His eyes showed relief...and was that a joyful glint...?

"Why...?" I murmured, but he didn't reply yet instead stretched out his left hand to help me up.

It was then that I noticed his other hand, holding the white lily hair pin I'd been missing since God-knows-when...

And it all clicked.

"Y-you used your psychometry?" I uttered in puzzlement.

Sweat trickled down the side of his face. It was probably the summer's heat that made him look so...rosy-faced...and it was so refreshing a sight.

_Dang. He's so cute. Dang, dang, dang, dang, dang!_

I bit my lip and restrained myself from hyperventilating.

Naru nodded, suspired, straightened, and said with his sincerely straightforward face, "Don't go with Murakami-san. Be with me."

I became probably redder than the freaking vending robot. And what's worse? I could feel the heat on my cheeks very well.

_Holy...dang!_

How could such an unfeeling expression still drown me? How could he shoot my heart down so easily with such a...point-blank face?

Dang it!

"I-I━" came my stammering voice.

_Claude's waiting for you_, my inner voice reminded. _He'd always waited for you._

What was true happiness? Being with somebody who loves you? Or being with somebody you love who doesn't feel the same way (maybe)? I was confused even until now. Claude had always made me happy, and Naru made me feel the same way too sometimes...

But who should I be with?

Who should I really...be happy with?

Naru's erubescent face after running was a view to behold. My heart truthfully melted at seeing him trying so hard to...stop me from going...

There was a two-note sound, and a woman announced through the intercom, "All passengers on the 12:00 pm All Nippon Airways flight NH023 to Osaka, the check-in counters are now open..."

_Ah..._

But, I'd decided.

I shook my head and tried not to look sad. "Claude...is waiting for me."

What face would he make? I didn't want to see. I didn't want to waver, so I averted my eyes while speaking.

What face should I make?

_I still love Naru, but...what if what he feels for me...is something temporary...fleeting?_

_Can he prioritize me like Claude can?_

…

_That seems impossible no matter how I try to hope for it._

I exhaled and gazed at Naru resolutely. "I'm sorry...but I can't be by your side anymore."

I swiveled and no longer glanced back at him.

This would be the end. I would move on and further expand my horizon. My love for Naru would merely be a bittersweet reminiscence of a bud that did not bloom.

Yes...just a bittersweet reminiscence...

_Sayonara...my first love._

* * *

**And Naru lived miserably ever after~nya~**

_**"So, I'm gonna leave you.**_

_**With just a little bit of regret.**_

_**I lost it somewhere,**_

_**that 'I love you.' "**_

_**~Over, sung by Wotamin~**_

…

…

…

**...**

**JUST KIDDING!~nya~**

* * *

Just then, there was a clicking sound, and I whipped around in bewilderment.

"Wha━?" I gasped.

"I knew you were going to say that," Naru spoke smartly.

"Naru, you━!" I sputtered in disbelief at our handcuffed wrists. _W-w-w-wha━!_

Naru gave a smirk: the expression I'd always hated...and loved.

"You're not the only one who's stubborn, Mai," he quipped with his rare yet amaranthine ethereal smile.

Then he grasped my hand and took me away with him.

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

"_**Just because someone doesn't love you in the way you want him to, it doesn't mean that he doesn't love you with all he's got."**_

_**~Unknown~**_

**XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD~nya~**

* * *

**A/N: NARU=KIDNAPPER!**

Ü

**YES. BIG YEEESSSS. A LOT OF FLUFF will be coming...Well, I was saving the 'best fluff' for last.**..

**I believe this was quite a darker one than Reminiscence, so I'm very sorry for giving all of you such dark emotions. I'm very glad that you all still read my story despite that, sooooo there'll be LOADS of fluff stuff ahead. I mean, balance (or imbalance) can be good too, right?**

**P. S. **I am still deciding if I should post the fluff stuff as next chapters to this story, or I would post the 2 WEEKS OF FLUFF as a sequel, a transition story before the case. I might take the COMPLETE tag off this one and add more chapters of fluff at the end, OR I might leave the COMPLETE tag and make a sequel containing all 2 weeks of fluff ^^

There are many things that needed to be explained yet, so I might come back with a new chapter in the end; I don't want any loose ends at all. Anyway, the COMPLETE TAG isn't permanent yet. So, rest assured. ^^

Will it be okay if Dollmaker is longer? Or do you all want the fluff to be separated?

Either way, the next chapter or the sequel will be entitled "RAPTURE." ^^ See you all soon!

***Psychogenic amnesia= amnesia caused by psychological events (trauma...violent or sad memories)**

**Epilepsy=a brain disorder that happens when brain tissues causes the neurons to misfire and make abnormal electrical activity in the brain...resulting to convulsion...seizures...**

**P.S. **THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO READ AND REVIEWED! T_T


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